Hockey Girls
by bsloths
Summary: Derek and Casey are off to Kingston for university. Assumptions are made, conclusions are drawn, issues arise, and problems ensue. Multichapter. Dasey.
1. Face Off

I wanted to write a Dasey-at-university fic now that the series is over. There are far better ones out there, but I figured I'd throw my hat in the ring. The style of this one was inspired by reading the _Twilight_ books – I'm sort of on a first-person kick. It's been awhile since I've done that in this fandom, so I wanted to give it a try.

Some important notes: Truman and Casey last for most of the summer, but they break up because Truman's going to Halifax. Derek and Emily break up right after graduation but stay good friends. (Emily's going to Toronto anyway, and really, did anyone think that "relationship" was going to last?) Also, we know that Ralph is going to Western, but we don't find out about Sam. So for the purposes of this story, Sam is going to Queen's University with Derek and Casey.

I did some research on Kingston and Queen's (yes, I am going to continue using that annoying apostrophe, because it's written all over the website that way), and it seems like an awesome school. Casey and Derek made the right choice! Everything you'll read about the university is from the website. Obviously, I don't go there, so I might get some details wrong. But their website is very helpful if you want to write an authentic College!Dasey.

Also, I wanted this to be as true to the series as possible, but ignore the stuff D and C were bantering about at the end of _Futuritis_, about sororities and Casey living in an all-girls residence hall. In my opinion, that was just chatter before they made any formal plans.

Enjoy! And review!

--Brandi

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 1: Face-Off **

_Locker room talk. Derek knew it well. Hell, he had _invented_ it at Thompson. But here at Queen's, it wasn't as…imaginative. Maybe it's because the guys were actually getting the action they were talking about. Maybe because guys in university were slowly maturing. Derek had no idea. But whatever the reason, he didn't feel the same need to participate that he had in high school._

_Hockey preseason had been amazing. The guys on the team were great, and it was nice to have Sam around. And now that classes were starting and they would soon be playing other schools, Derek was on cloud nine. University was _fun_ so far._

_Even the living situation was pretty good. Sure, moving in with Casey had been the furthest thing from his mind when he found out he'd been accepted to Queen's. He'd been relieved to be going off to university, to actually have a direction for his future, but he hadn't expected to continue living with her. In fact, he'd planned to stop focusing on her altogether and meet some new girls. And because she wouldn't be _living_ with him, he would actually be able to pay attention to these new girls. (And maybe even fall for one, for real.) And when he saw Casey around campus, his obsession with her would magically disappear, because he'd finally have some distance from her. It was hard to forget about her when they were living under the same roof, always getting in each other's way._

_And what Derek wants, Derek gets. _

_But._

_He hadn't _planned_ on going to the same school as Casey. It wasn't _his_ fault that Queen's accepted both of them. So it was majorly unfair when Dad and Nora were all, "let's save money by having you two get an apartment together blah blah blah." That was a problem. It completely ruined his method of moving on._

_He knew Casey was just about as thrilled at this prospect as he was, but neither of them really had a choice. Derek had been wait-listed everywhere else, and Casey had her scholarship. They were not going to back down and choose different schools. So, they had to suck it up and live together for four more years._

_Derek held out hope that he could still keep his mind off of her somehow, that he could still force this silly crush away. _

_But it just kept getting worse. They found a tiny two-bedroom, where of course it was impossible to escape one another. Instead of sharing a wall, their rooms were opposite each other, with the bathroom at the end of the hall. So there was no breathing room. And he didn't even have his siblings there as a buffer._

_It was all Casey, all the time. And…he loved it. He hated that he loved it, but he did. She was not a fan of the campus food, so she'd been cooking for the two of them. He practically lost it the first time he came into the kitchen and saw her standing there frying something with the most adorable apron on. She looked so domestic. They were living like a freaking married couple. Because he didn't want to feel like a complete schmuck for eating her delicious food and giving her nothing in return, he started doing his chores without comment or complaint. It had impressed her, he could tell, but neither of them said anything about it. It was best to just let things play out, he had learned. Drawing attention to such things would earn him praise, and then he wouldn't feel like helping out anymore. And Casey knew that, so she kept her mouth shut. Smart girl._

_As they adjusted to living on their own together (remarkably easy to do, since they had been living in the same house for years now), Derek realized that he would have been even more miserable if they had only seen each other on campus once in awhile. He was being a masochist, but hey, he needed his Casey-time. _

_He hadn't held out any hope in high school: she would never have him. People would talk. It was just…wrong. _

_But._

_They were in Kingston, almost five hours away from home, and here was the crucial difference: _no one knew they were stepsiblings_. (Sam had known about Derek's feelings forever now, so he didn't count.) _

_Derek didn't give himself enough credit to believe that he'd ever actually make a move. He was okay with that, though, because he was playing house with her 24/7. It didn't matter if people were in the dark about what the two of them actually were. He could go on fantasizing and pretending, and praying that these feelings (he hated that word, fffeelings, but that's what they were) would go away. As long as no one knew how he and Casey were related, he felt less…icky. Because even if _he_ knew she was definitely not his sister, other people were less likely to understand that concept. _

_He only had a few days left of this glorious ignorance. Classes would start, and Casey would meet new people, and they would wonder why she was living with a guy. She would be quick to reassure them that he wasn't her boyfriend. She'd say they were stepsiblings, emphasizing the _step_, of course, and that would be that. _

_Sam thought he was the biggest idiot in the world. _"Just tell her how you feel!"_ had become the poor guy's mantra. But Derek, being Derek, knew what was best. He couldn't tell her. How would that even work? He spent so much time and energy making sure she knew how much he couldn't stand her. Why would she ever go for a guy like him? It was practically incest, anyway, according to, like, society. People wouldn't get it. _She_ wouldn't get it. Sam only understood because he knew that Derek couldn't resist anything with nice legs and killer smile. It wasn't Derek's fault. It was just simple biology. It would go away. Someday._

_All of this was on Derek's mind during hockey preseason. His living situation hadn't come up with his teammates, but then again, he hadn't felt the need to bring it up, either. That glorious ignorance was a powerful motivator. As was exhaustion. He hadn't talked much because he was always _tired_. Preseason had been fun, and yet he had never played so hard in his life. Go figure. _

_Everything changed, however, during the first official day of practice. Derek noticed a small group of girls in the stands at the rink as the team skated out onto the ice. _

"_Who are they?" he asked the captain, Joel, as they took a quick water break after some drills. _

_Joel smiled. "They, my friend, are the HGs."_

_Derek shot a look at Sam, who shrugged. "The what now?"_

"_They call themselves the Hockey Girls. Isn't that cute? That blonde one in the middle is my girlfriend Sarah. And the girls around her are the girlfriends of other guys on the team."_

_Mark, who was listening, nudged Derek and waved discreetly at a pretty redhead, who waved back with a big smile. "That's my girl Brooke," he said proudly. _

_Derek and Sam exchanged glances again and grinned at Mark's enthusiasm. "So your girlfriends come to all the practices?" Derek asked._

"_Yeah. We all," he motioned to the team, "hang out together anyway, so the girls kinda bonded too or whatever. So now they come to our practices and have special sweatshirts for the games and everything. They're like our cheerleaders." _

_Derek scanned the girls again. Wow. Some of them were pretty hot. But it looked like they were all off-limits. Oh well. _

_Derek winked at Sam. "You shouldn't have told Sam that. He has a thing for cheerleaders." _

_Joel punched Sam on the arm. "I hear ya. But these girls are _taken_." Sam was blushing furiously. Derek knew it was mean to do that to poor innocent Sammy, but the look on his face made it worth it._

_Sam held up both hands in a surrendering gesture, trying to play along. "Believe me, I get it." _

_Joel turned to Derek. "You should bring your girl around. She'd like the HGs. Sarah would make her feel welcome." _

_That threw Derek, and he looked to Sam for help. But Sam looked just as confused. "Who?" Derek asked. _

_Joel furrowed his eyebrows. "Whaddaya mean, 'who'?" _

_Derek tried not to sound condescending. "Who, as in, which girl are you talking about?" _

_Mark spoke up again. "You know, that girl you were walking around with at orientation. She was _fine_." He wiggled his eyebrows and gave a low whistle to illustrate his point. _

_Derek's stomach tightened. _Mark's with Brooke_, he reminded himself, and the jealousy ebbed. "You mean Casey? She's not—" Derek could almost see the crossroads in his head. Come clean now and admit that Casey was his stepsister…or have a little fun. The choice was clear. And he knew he had made the right one when his next words made Sam's face twist up in a very scary way. "—not into hockey," Derek finished, knowing how lame it sounded. _

_Joel and Mark didn't seem to notice. "Who cares?" Joel waved a hand dismissively. "When we first met, Sarah barely knew what a puck was. She's had a lot of fun just hanging out with the HGs." _

_Sam accidentally-on-purpose aimed a swift kick at Derek's ankle when he said, "Yeah, that's Casey too. I just might have to bring her around." He tried to ignore the throbbing in his leg. That was going to leave a bruise. Stupid Sam and his morals. _

"_You should," Mark insisted. "How long have you guys been together? We don't usually have freshmen HGs before the games even start. Most guys like to play the field a little." _

_Derek tried his best to look like a guy with a girlfriend. "About three and a half years." It wasn't a lie. They met in the spring of grade nine. "I'm not really a fan of dating around." _

_Sam suddenly had a major coughing fit. Derek thumped him on the back and got a huge glare for his trouble. At least Sam was being good and not ruining the ruse. Derek would get yelled at later, he was sure of it. Again, though, so worth it for the looks he was getting from his best friend. _

"_Aww, Derek is so in looove," Joel teased. "That's really cool, though. In all seriousness, not a lot of relationships last that long, especially in high school." _

"_Yeah, man. Good luck with that," Mark chimed in._

_Derek nodded in what he hoped looked like appreciation. "So far, the whole living together thing has been good, so we'll see," he said without thinking. _Not the smartest move, Venturi_, he chided himself. _

_Joel's eyes got comically wide. "You _live_ with her? You are so lucky." _

_Derek nodded again. "Yeah, I am." He accidentally sighed a little wistfully. _Oops. Gotta stay on track_. "We got an apartment together instead of paying for two dorms. It's the size of a closet, but it makes our parents happy." _Again, not even a lie! This is too easy!

"_Your parents are happy about you, like, living in sin?" Mark asked incredulously._

Shit._ "Um, well, we don't…really." _This is just wonderful. I'm such an idiot. _Derek fought the urge to bang his head against the wall. _

_Joel nodded in understanding. "That's how Sarah is too. She wants to wait until we're married." He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. _

"_Let's save the chatting for the locker room, shall we, ladies?" their coach suddenly appeared and crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's get a move on!" _

_They skated back out to finish practice, and the conversation was over. _

_But the damage was done._

_So yeah. University "locker room talk" was apparently something Derek should have avoided like the plague. It was too late now, though. Joel even brought him over to the HGs after practice, so they could be introduced properly. Joel was right; Casey and Sarah would really like each other. That made Derek even more uncomfortable than he already was. _

_As they were heading out of the rink, it seemed like everyone on the team was telling Derek to bring his girlfriend to the next practice to meet the HGs. Word travels fast on a team that small. _

"_Sure, sure," he acquiesced as he and Sam hightailed it away from the arena. _

"_Not a word, Sam," Derek commanded as soon as they were out of earshot._

_Sam just waited patiently for Derek to unlock The Prince. _

"_I mean it. Not a word." _

_Sam didn't say anything as he got into the passenger seat. Derek knew that Sam knew silence was the best way to deal with Derek right now, so of course he cracked right away. No use beating around the bush._

"_Look, I know that was really stupid, but…"_

_Sam surprised him. "You know what, D? I don't care. You go ahead and keep this up, and we'll just see what happens."_

Derek's mouth dropped open. "Huh?"

"_Seriously. I'm sorta morbidly curious." Sam shot him a devilish grin. _

_Derek managed to close his mouth. "You won't tell Casey?"_

_Sam's eyes twinkled. "Tell Casey what?"_

()()()()()

I can't believe how easy this transition has been. I thought I'd never see the day that Derek Venturi willingly helped out around the house. It's true. He's been great. We've been living together for almost two weeks, and it's been nothing short of peaceful. Sure, I do all the cooking, but he's been doing his own laundry, and taking out the trash, and doing dishes.

It's amazing what a little maturity will do to a boy. I am so proud of him.

I know he's probably lulling me into a false sense of security so that when he starts pulling pranks, I'll be totally taken by surprise. But you know what? I don't care. Right now, I'm enjoying living with him.

Did I just say that? Oh my gosh, I did.

I'm not even all that homesick. I talk to our family every day, and I email Emily, who's at U of T. I've been having a good time exploring the campus, getting an early start on coursework, and learning my way around Kingston, so I've really been too busy to miss everyone yet. Besides, Mom, Lizzie, and Marti drove out here for a few days to help me decorate and get the apartment in order. And I haven't even seen Derek enough to fight with him, because he's been training so hard. But his first official practice was today, so that means he'll be able to spend more time at home from now on.

Listen to me calling our tiny apartment 'home.' Weird, huh?

Classes start tomorrow, and I really can't wait. I'm going to make so many friends, and get perfect marks, and the professors are going to learn my name before anyone else's.

I think it's safe to say that I'm going to love university.

()()()()()

I was deliberating over my outfit for my first class when Derek came in from hockey practice.

"Hey Der," I called from my bedroom. He grunted in response, but I wasn't offended because I knew his mouth was probably already full. Sure enough, as soon as I entered the kitchen I could see his bottom half sticking out of the refrigerator.

When he finally emerged from his rummaging, I held up my two final choices.

"What do you think I should wear for the first day?" I held up a capris-and-lacy-blouse combo. "Preppy casual?" I switched hands and held a sundress up to my torso. "Or dressy?"

"Do I look like I care?" And there was the expected response. But I knew all it would take to get him to answer was sticking my bottom lip out a teeny-tiny bit with just the slightest hint of a whine in my voice.

"Please?"

Derek glanced over each outfit and flicked his wrist towards the blouse. "That looks like Marti sewed it together and then put it in the garbage disposal."

"Preppy casual it is." You see? The one he insults is the one he likes. I know this because of all the times I've known for _sure_ I look good, and he's called me ugly and insulted the outfit. I've got this boy down to a science. He's not that complicated once you get to know him.

Derek, meanwhile, just rolled his eyes and plopped down in front of the television with his plateful of carbs.

I refrained from telling him not to spoil his dinner. That would be a little too motherly of me. And I was trying to be his roommate, not his keeper.

I got the shock of my life when Derek entered my bedroom a little later (without knocking, but no surprise there) and offered to make dinner. Once I scraped my chin off of the floor, I answered with a simple, "That would be great, thanks." It's not a good idea to make too big a deal of things when Derek does something nice. I've learned that from experience. I'm telling you, living with him is a cakewalk by now.

It feels so different without the others around, though. It almost feels like we're like a married couple or something. How weird is that? In a way, I like having him all to myself. I get to see the sides of Derek he's only shown me glimpses of before. (Like offering to make dinner, for instance. Of course, I'll have to eat my words if he ends up putting ants in the ice cubes or something…) I like being the one to see Derek acting human. It makes me feel like I've actually had a good influence on him.

I'm going to need him, too, when school starts getting crazy. He's the only one who can get me to put down my notecards and relax. And I'm the only one who can motivate him to stay on top of his work, so really, us living together is a great idea. I wasn't thrilled at first, but I really think it's going to help both of us in the long run.

()()()()()

"This is perfect," I told him, as I scooped myself a second helping of mac and cheese. (Hey, don't judge. Dinner is dinner. And he also made a salad and garlic bread.)

"Of course it is. _I_ made it, didn't I?"

That was Derek-speak for thank you. So I said, "You're welcome." He flicked a piece of lettuce at me. I picked it out of my hair and ate it. I actually saw him smile.

Sometimes I feel like I live for that smile. He so rarely just lets it stretch from ear-to-ear. I know it's real when even his eyes smile. It's such a great feeling of accomplishment to know that I made _The_ Derek Venturi look like that.

After dinner, he washed and I dried, even though I insisted that since he cooked, he could have the night off of dish duty. (There are only two of us, so washing dishes takes like five minutes anyway. But it's the thought that counts.)

"Hey Case?"

"Hm?" I carefully stacked our plates back in the cabinet.

"I was wondering, maybe, would you want to come to my hockey practice tomorrow?"

I stared at him. There had to be a catch, or a joke in there somewhere. But he looked completely sincere.

"Um, why?" I couldn't help being blunt. I just could not possibly fathom why he would be asking me this.

Derek paused, but then launched into a speech he had obviously practiced. It would be undetectable by anyone else, but I know him too well. "I think it would be good for you to meet my teammates. I'm probably going to be spending a lot of time with them, so you should know who they are. And we have these cheerleaders that seem really nice. I thought you might want to make some new friends."

I wasn't sure how to react to this. Derek was being rational, and…sweet. There _had_ to be a catch. "What's the catch?" I asked suspiciously.

Derek shook his head. "No catch. I'm serious."

I shrugged. "Okay. It could be…fun."

He gaped at me. "Really?"

I figured he had been expecting a little resistance. "Yeah, why not? Besides, maybe a cute hockey player will ask me out," I added, just to tick him off.

It worked. He made some sort of harrumphing sound, and then fell quiet. Wow, no insult in the vein of, 'No hockey player in his right mind would date a Space Case like you.' He must be _really_ tired from practice.

I patted his shoulder and hung up the dish towel. "I'm going to do some reading in my room. Good night."

"Night, Case." I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of turning around. I'm choosing to trust that he has no ulterior motive in inviting me to practice. I hope I won't regret it!


	2. Breakaway

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 2: Breakaway **

I made it through my first day of classes! You have no idea how happy that makes me. I was really, really nervous. I must have been letting it show this morning, because Derek grabbed my shoulders and told me to _calm the hell down_. It worked. Then he sauntered out of the apartment like he didn't have a care in the world. His first class started an hour before mine, so I couldn't even walk the two blocks to campus with him on the first day. It was all me. On my own.

And I did it! My professors seem really nice so far, and I even found some people to sit with. A girl I recognized from orientation waved me over in the big lecture hall. I had been planning to sit right up front, but the middle is okay too. And in the other classes, I found the people who looked as nervous as I did, and sat with them. I didn't even need to pull out my "common talking points" notecards. I guess since everyone is new, it's easy to make friends.

So I was in a pretty good mood when I dropped off my books at the apartment and went to meet Derek for his practice. I wasn't sure where the Memorial Centre was, so we met outside Sam's residence hall.

Sam had had a good day, too. He was kinda quiet, more than usual, but I figured he was just trying to conserve his energy for hockey practice. From what Derek told me, the coach works them pretty hard.

Derek picked us up and we squeezed into The Prince. "I'm having a good day. You?" He addressed both of us.

Sam gave him a thumbs up. "So far, so good!"

Derek looked at me, actually seeming interested in my answer.

I nodded. "Totally. I love university!"

"Keener," he muttered, and mussed my hair.

"Der-ek!"

He smirked that infuriating smirk of his while I fished in my purse for a hairbrush. "Well, you are," he said matter-of-factly. I stuck my tongue out at him, unable to think of the proper response for such a juvenile insult.

"Now kids, no fighting in the car," Sam reprimanded.

Derek flipped him off and pulled onto the road.

()()()()()

The rink is _huge_. And _cold_. I was glad I listened to Derek and brought a sweater.

He led me up into the stands, where four girls were sitting, covered in blankets. They greeted Derek enthusiastically. Guess he made quite an impression already. I wonder which one of them will be his next conquest. The blonde one looked like his type.

"Hey girls, this is Casey," he told them. I said hello, trying not to feel too shy.

The blonde patted the seat next to her. "Sit here," she told me, and Derek pushed me towards the bleacher as he headed down the steps to the locker rooms.

"I'm Sarah, and this is Brooke." She pointed to the redhead on her other side. She also introduced Gina and Lauren, brunettes on the bleacher below us.

"Hi everyone," I said, trying to memorize their names. "I hear you're the hockey cheerleaders?"

The four of them burst out laughing. What did I say?

Sarah recovered first. "Typical men." She shook her head. "I've been an HG for three years now, and Joel still tells people I cheer."

I was so confused. "Don't you? And what's an HG?"

Brooke fielded this one. Apparently I was completely misinformed. Stupid Derek. "HG stands for Hockey Girls. That's what we call ourselves. We support our guys during the games, but we are _not_ cheerleaders."

"Not that there's anything wrong with cheerleaders," Gina piped up. "We just don't have anything to do with hockey. We're what you might call a social organization."

Now I was completely lost. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Sarah grinned. "Derek was either joking with you or he didn't realize when he told you, but we're just fans of the _players_, not the actual game."

"Oh." I was still not getting it, but I decided it was time to stop looking like an idiot, so I kept my mouth shut.

"See, the captain, Joel, is my boyfriend," Sarah continued. "Brooke is with Mark, Gina's with Ricky, and Lauren's with Carter," she explained. "And there are a few other girls who aren't here yet."

I was beginning to understand. "Oh, so you just come to watch your boyfriends play."

"You got it," Brooke said happily. "We'll have to get you your hoodie for the first game. I think Derek is number eighteen, isn't he?"

How would I know? I try to steer clear of that smelly hockey gear. "I have no idea."

Brooke looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, find out!"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, we'll have to take you to the campus store to get the sweatshirt, but you can decorate it however you want. We all use the navy blue Queen's hoodies and paint our guys' numbers on the back."

Something finally clicked. "You want me to wear _Derek's_ number on my hoodie?" Because Derek is _my guy_? Oh. My. God.

Sarah tilted her head. "Who else's would you wear?"

It was a split-second, probably very stupid decision, but I decided to play along. It'll be funny to see the look on Derek's face when he realizes he sent me to make new friends and they want me to be _his_ special cheerleader!

I tried my best to recover my dignity. "Derek's, of course. I'm sorry, I was just really confused. I get it now. I'll definitely wear a sweatshirt!"

Sarah smiled. "Good! We all agree that we chip in to buy the new girls their shirts. So that means if another guy on the team gets a girlfriend, you'd have to chip in for hers. Make sense?"

"That sounds fair."

"We think so. Other than that, we just show up to practice to hang out, because we all became friends. I've been here for three years, and Brooke's been with Mark for two. Everyone else just sort of comes and goes."

I looked at Lauren and Gina to see if they were offended by this, but apparently not. Lauren saw my expression. "It's okay, Casey, it's just a fact of life that we're not necessarily going to be with our boyfriends forever. But don't worry! You don't get kicked out of the HGs if you break up with Derek or anything!"

Sarah was quick to reassure me as well. "Once an HG, always an HG. It's just the current ones that come to every game and practice, though, so we're the ones who'll be seeing each other the most. The guys on the team tend to all hang out, so we all hang out too."

I nodded. This was quite an educational afternoon. Hearing Lauren say I might break up with Derek was too surreal. How can you break up with someone you're not even with? Maybe I was really dumb to pretend we were together. But these girls seem nice, and I want to have some built-in friends. Is that so bad?

"So how long have you and Derek been dating?" Gina asked.

I panicked. I am so not good at this lying thing! I tried to remember everything Derek had taught me about sounding convincing. But then I realized I didn't even really have to lie.

"We've been together about three and a half years." Insert the word 'living' in between 'been' and 'together' and you have the complete truth.

"Wow!" That was Brooke, but all of the girls seemed impressed.

"You guys are so young! So you were together all through high school?" Sarah asked.

"Pretty much." I smiled. This wasn't so hard. I can decorate a sweatshirt and cheer for Derek. I'd be a good stepsister if I did that. It didn't have to mean anything else.

"It's so nice that you guys came to university together," Brooke said.

"It just sort of worked out that way. We didn't even know where the other was applying."

"You're kidding! You guys could have ended up really far apart!" Gina seemed appalled that I could be so flippant about it.

"We weren't worried about that. Derek and I know we'll be together forever." Again, not a lie. Our parents made sure of that when they got married. Though the loving tone I injected into that statement was quite a feat of acting, if I do say so myself.

The girls let out sighs of "aww." I blushed. I don't even know why.

Eager to get out of the spotlight, I asked them about their boyfriends. They told me their stories, and by the time they had each shared, five more girls had shown up. There were more introductions. I got as many names as I could, but it was going to take me awhile to keep up. These new girls talked fast. I had to repeat the stuff about Derek and me, and there were more "awws" that made my skin crawl. I think I got myself in way too deep here. Derek can never find out about this. I'll have to make sure that I stay far away from him whenever the HGs hang out with the players.

But wait. They're going to expect me to act like his girlfriend, aren't they? Oh, no.

I am in _so_ much trouble here.

Unless…wait a second! Derek must have done this on purpose! This is definitely a prank. He knew they were the girlfriends of the players, so he thought it would be funny to introduce me and have them think we were together. Ooh, that changes things. There is no way I'm letting him get away with this!

I'm going to play his game. Let the girls continue to think we're together. And then see what he says when I start acting like his girlfriend in front of them. He'll have no choice but to reveal what he did! Ha. This is going to be fun!

()()()()()

"How's it going?" Derek asked as he and another player headed towards us after practice.

"Great!" I replied cheerfully.

"This is the team captain, Joel," Derek told me, and I stood up to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Casey," he said warmly. I can see why Sarah likes him.

"You, too. You'll be happy to know that I've decided to become an HG!" My gaze flickered to Derek's face, and he was smart enough to keep his expression impassive. I forgot I'm playing with the master manipulator, here. I'm going to have to step it up a notch in the future.

"That's great." Joel turned to Sarah. "You'll get her a shirt?"

Sarah nodded. "Definitely. In fact, want to go now, Casey?"

I looked at Derek again, adopting the sweetest tone I could muster. "That's okay, right Der? I'll be home in time to make dinner."

Derek's lips twitched, begging to be allowed to turn into a grimace, but he held them together in a straight line. I'm the only one who noticed this internal battle, of course. It took all of one second. "Sure, Case. Have fun."

Joel said goodbye, gave Sarah a quick kiss, and then headed down the bleachers.

Was Derek supposed to kiss me goodbye, too? Oh no. Oh no. What have I gotten myself into?

To my intense relief, he just sort of chucked me under the chin and winked. Darn, he's good. I bet the girls thought that was cute.

Sure enough, as soon as the guys were headed towards the locker room, there were squeals about how I had the cutest boyfriend ever. Gag me.

"He's not big on public displays of affection," I told them. This was definitely true.

We began gathering up our things, and headed out of the arena.

Sarah and Brooke steered me towards Sarah's car. "We'll drive you to the campus store. It doesn't take ten girls to buy one shirt!" Sarah said.

Once we were on our way, with Sarah at the wheel and me in the passenger seat, Brooke spoke up hesitantly. "Hey Casey, you said before that you'd be home to make Derek dinner. Do you guys live together or something?"

Heh. So they caught that. Which means Derek and Joel did too. Explain _that_ one, Venturi.

"Yes we do, actually. Our parents figured out that it would be cheaper for us to share an apartment than to get two dorms."

"Wow, that is so cool!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Yeah, I knew three years meant you were serious, but I didn't realize _how_ serious," Sarah added. "So how's it going, the living together thing?"

I was happy with this line of questioning. I could be honest about this stuff! "Surprisingly, it's been a really easy adjustment. I was worried I'd be homesick, but I feel better with Derek around. And we've been splitting up the chores, which is nice."

Brooke giggled. "You guys are so lucky to have so much alone time, not having to worry about roommates or parents walking in on you. You must be doing it like, all the time."

"Brooke!" Sarah scolded, but then she grinned. "Are you?"

I'm really glad I was able to turn my face towards the window, because I'm sure it was scarlet. _This_ line of questioning was not okay _at all_.

"Um…" What the heck could I say?

"Sorry, Casey. It's none of our business." Sarah could obviously tell I was uncomfortable.

I decided to keep telling the truth. It hadn't failed me so far. "It's all right. It's a two-bedroom apartment. We don't, um, do that…yet." I wonder what Derek would think of me adding the 'yet.' I cannot wait to see him freak out about this!

Sarah nodded sympathetically. "I understand completely. Joel and I are waiting, too."

Brooke made a face. "Suit yourselves."

()()()()()

I entered our apartment with a fair amount of trepidation, not quite sure how Derek was going to handle this little situation he had gotten us into.

I know, I know, I helped it along. If I hadn't been so eager to beat him at his own game, maybe I would have been a little more careful about what I was saying.

But it's too late now. For better or worse, just about everyone we know at this school thinks we're dating.

I clutched the hoodie and bag of art supplies to my chest as I unlocked the door, and saw Derek standing in the kitchen. He waved at me offhandedly, not even bothering to detach his lips from the carton of orange juice he was currently enjoying.

He puts his backwash into everything. The next time I get a glass of juice, we'll be literally swapping spit. That's sort of like we're in a relationship, right?

_Ugh. _

I'm sure my face was bright red as I ran to my room. I had to figure out what to put on this stupid shirt.

I sneaked a peek at his practice jersey this afternoon, and he _was_ number eighteen. So that was a good place to start.

I must have gotten lost in my artwork, because before I knew it Derek was knocking on my door. (Knocking!?)

"Hey Case, I made omelets. You have thirty seconds to get out here before I eat your share."

Typical Derek. But at least he cooked again. That was really nice. He must be trying to butter me up so when he explodes over this whole issue, he won't seem so mean.

Well, it's not gonna work, Venturi. This is _his_ fault.

I put the lid on the yellow puff paint and stepped back to admire my work. I had painted his number on the back, along with "Venturi" across the top, like his real jersey. I had also decorated the corners with little maple leafs. His team is called the Golden Gaels, and our school mascot is a bear. So it was difficult to think of what to paint. (I could not do justice to a bear. I'm not that artistic.) But I figured since Derek loves the Maple Leafs team, it would have to do. (I put way too much thought into this!) On the front, the sweatshirt already says "Queen's University" in yellow lettering, but I plan to add lots of pretty designs in red sparkle paint. That'll show Derek.

During dinner, Derek didn't say a word about earlier today. Instead, he asked me about my classes and what organizations I thought I might join. Yeah, that's right. He seemed to show an actual interest in my life.

Just when I think I have him figured out, he goes and turns into a normal human being.

I couldn't muster up the courage to bring up his prank.

You know, that just might be a good thing. If we don't acknowledge it, maybe people will forget about it.

()()()()()

I met him at the rink for practice the next day. I didn't think I could handle any more alone time in the car. The suspense of whether Derek was going to acknowledge what was going on was killing me. I know I should just leave it alone, but I can't. This is so unlike him to _not_ take credit for a prank.

I got there a little early, and I found Mark and Brooke skating around the ice, looking lost in their own little world. I felt bad about intruding, so I stomped up the bleachers as loudly as I could to alert them to my presence. Brooke looked up and waved me down to the ice. "Casey, there are extra skates in my bag! Come join us!"

I looked towards the bench where her bag was and then back towards the ice. I haven't been on skates in years. I'm not the most coordinated person in the world (I know this is an understatement!) but I do have the grace of a dancer, so I can usually hold my own on the ice. It's a skill that's come in handy for birthday parties and when the pond froze over near my old condo in Toronto, but I don't think I've skated once since grade nine.

"Come on!" Mark was waving me over now. I guess they didn't mind being interrupted.

I quickly grabbed the skates out of the bag and headed down towards the ice. I laced up the skates quickly. They were a little tight, but they would do. I managed to skate out towards them without making a fool of myself, but I forgot how to stop, and ended up crashing into Mark. It's a good thing he's a big strong hockey player, or I would have knocked him down.

Brooke stifled a giggle, and I couldn't help but giggle too as she helped me get my balance. I'm sure I looked pretty ridiculous.

"Sorry. It's been awhile," I explained.

Mark waved a hand dismissively. "No big deal. Here." He grabbed one arm and Brooke grabbed the other. We did a few practice loops until I felt confident enough to be on my own.

I was just attempting to try a spin when the door to the rink banged open, and Derek came into view. The shocked look on his face when he saw me effectively ruined my concentration, and I tripped over my own feet and crashed to the ice.

"Der-ek!" I screeched as I picked myself up.

"What did _I_ do?" he called back, and then burst into laughter. Jerk. Though I did notice he was walking a little faster towards the ice. At least he's not totally heartless.

Brooke and Mark skated over and helped me up.

"What happened?" Brooke asked.

"I saw Derek and got distracted, I guess," I said, realizing how silly it sounded.

Brooke nodded understandingly, though. "Yeah, I'd stare at him all day too if he was _my_ boyfriend."

I groaned under my breath. Will this ever end?

Mark wrapped an arm around Brooke's waist and cried, "Hey, I heard that!" She giggled like crazy as he began tickling her. His grip was so strong that her feet were barely touching the ice anymore, and yet he was perfectly balanced. It gave me a better appreciation for Derek's skill on the ice. Skating really does take a lot of effort.

Just as I was starting to feel like a third wheel, I felt someone skate up behind me. Derek stopped right behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I figured you needed some help to stay upright, Spacey," he whispered. He was in the perfect position for me to elbow him in the stomach, so I did, hard. "Hey!" he yelped, and skated around so that we were face to face.

Brooke had finally stopped giggling, and I realized she and Mark were staring at us with concern. I guess we looked a little angry, because Brooke asked, "Everything okay?"

Derek spun around to face them. "Yeah, we're fine." He extended a hand to Brooke. "Want to skate?"

Brooke winked at Mark. "Sure." The two of them skated off, and Mark and I were left facing each other.

"Well, let's go," I finally said, and grabbed his hand. Whoa. His hand is _huge_.

Mark smiled. "I'll go slowly," he promised.

We did a loop around the rink, and once we caught back up with Derek and Brooke, Mark tapped Derek on the shoulder. "Mind if I have her back now, buddy?"

Derek shrugged. "She's all yours." He bowed to Brooke and Brooke giggled. This girl is a major giggler, in case you couldn't tell. (But not in an annoying way.)

Derek, however, is _very_ annoying. What was all that cute stuff with Brooke about? Holding her hand, and bowing, and…yuck. Her boyfriend was two feet away, and I'm fairly sure he could lay Derek flat with one punch. And yet he let them skate together.

Either Mark trusts Brooke completely, or skating must not be as romantic as I think it is. Let's go with the second one, shall we?

That made it easier to just grab Derek's hand and say, "Let's go, Venturi."

"What? No!" He started to pull away from my grasp, but I held firm. If he wants people to buy his little boyfriend act, he needs to commit to this prank one hundred percent.

"I'll get you for this McDonald," he threatened.

I just looked back at him in disgust. "That's the best you can come up with? You'll 'get me'?"

Derek harrumphed and sped ahead of me. "If you're going to make me skate with you, at least let me lead."

We skated around the rink twice, and by then most of the team had arrived. We followed Mark and Brooke off the ice. It wasn't until I went over to where I had left my shoes that I realized Derek and I were still holding hands.

I tugged out of his grasp and he looked over at me sharply, obviously realizing the same thing I had several seconds ago. He wiped his hand on his pants dramatically.

"My palms aren't sweaty!" I cried, and he smirked condescendingly. "Well, yours were ten times worse!" I made a big show of wiping my own hand on my jeans.

"No way!" Derek balked. And, to prove his point, he smushed his hand onto my face and rubbed it around.

I immediately pushed it away. "Ew! Ew!" I began wiping at my cheeks, and especially my mouth. It wasn't quite working, so I grabbed the hem of Derek's shirt, pulled it up, and wiped my face off on it. I would have used my own, but the material I was wearing wasn't really conducive to soaking up Derek-germs.

I could suddenly hear giggling. Brooke was only a few feet away, removing her skates. I had completely forgotten there were about ten hockey players and several HGs in our near vicinity. Oh, man. I hope no one else saw that. I lifted my eyes to try and catch Derek's expression. His eyes were wide and he looked like he was about to make a mad dash for the door. I quickly removed Derek's shirt from my face and pushed it back down over his torso, getting an eyeful of toned stomach in the process. I forgot that it takes some serious muscle to play hockey, along with the skating skills. I have to give credit where credit is due, you know, and Derek really does deserve to be on this team.

"You guys are too funny," Brooke said.

"I know, right? You're still so flirty even after all these years. It's adorable." That was Gina. Where did _she_ come from? Had _everyone_ seen our little, um, argument? We were _not_ flirting. That was typical Derek being his typical jerky self.

I couldn't say any of this, of course. Stupid Derek and his stupid, stupid prank.


	3. Deflection

This chapter contains a total Dasey cliché. I'm sorry about that, but I couldn't help it. I have a weakness for fluff. I think you'll enjoy it anyway. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 3: Deflection **

"My first university party!" I couldn't help but squeal as I got into The Prince with Derek and Sam after practice. The HGs had invited me to the annual hockey pre-first-game party that weekend.

"Mine too!" Sam said with equal excitement, though I know he was doing it for my benefit.

Derek rolled his eyes at both of us. "It's just a party." He tossed his head like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Oh, please. You know you're excited too!" I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I was really looking forward to it. I'm not even much of a party person, but this is a big rite of passage.

Derek just made a "pshh" sound and started talking to Sam about hockey like I wasn't even there.

Fine with me. We had avoided each other for the rest of that uncomfortable practice, but afterwards, he was giving Sam a ride to his dorm, and Sam offered me one, too. Derek just gave him a dirty look and motioned for me to follow them outside.

Once we dropped Sam off, it was just the two of us in the car. I felt the need to fill the silence, but refrained. There was no reason to talk to him, unless he was going to bring up his stupid prank.

"Dad and Nora can't make it to the game on Sunday," Derek said suddenly. There was the slightest hint of sadness in his voice.

"What? Why?" I had been looking forward to seeing them.

"Nora's got some conference or expo or something, and Dad's staying with the kids because Mrs. Higgenbotham is sick, and he thinks it's too far away to leave them home alone, especially because Lizzie's got a soccer game."

"That's horrible. I'm sorry, Der. I know how much you wanted them at your first game." I really did feel badly. Mom's trying to get in as much work as possible before the new baby comes and she has to go on maternity leave. But this is Derek's first ever game as a Golden Gael! That's a bigger deal than window treatments!

"No big deal." He shrugged off my sympathy, but I could tell he appreciated it by the way his eyes flickered to mine for just a split second.

"What about Abby?" I would think his mother would want to be there. She even drove out to see our apartment last week.

"She can't either. She leaves for Spain again tonight."

I sighed. In a way, this was a good thing. If none of our parents showed up, I wouldn't have to explain to them about Derek's prank.

"Well, _I'll_ be there," I said, knowing this would make him feel a little better. I couldn't make up for our parents, but at least he'd have one person cheering for him. (And wearing a 'look whose girlfriend I am' sweatshirt, no less!)

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel _so_ much better," he said sarcastically.

See? I told you he'd appreciate my support. He wouldn't have bothered acknowledging what I said if he didn't.

"I'll be there cheering for Sam, too. I know you'll both be great." Mentioning Sam created a good buffer. He could be nice when it was about Sam.

"Thanks," he said sincerely, and glanced over at me briefly. "That will make Sam happy."

What he wasn't adding to that sentence was 'Sam _and me_ happy.' But it was understood. I'm telling you, it's scary how much I have him figured out. If only I could understand why he wasn't talking about his stupid prank!

We were finally at the apartment, and Derek disappeared into the bathroom as soon as we got in the door. I headed to the kitchen and spread out my homework on the counter. When Derek finally emerged from the shower, we ordered pizza for dinner and ate it with the television on. After doing the dishes (two plates and two cups – I don't miss my family during this part of the day!), I insisted Derek needed to work on his own homework. All he said was, "Yes, Mom Junior," and then headed to his room. I didn't see him for the rest of the night.

Yet another day goes by without any acknowledgement from Derek about his grand scheme. So weird. But I will _not_ be the one to bring it up. I. Will. Not.

()()()()()

It was twenty minutes before the party and much to Derek's disgust, Sarah had been at the apartment for the last hour, helping me figure out what to wear. I had tried to talk her out of coming, but she wouldn't hear it. So I quickly hid the picture of our family that I kept on my dresser and tried to think of anything else in the place that could possibly point to the fact that Derek and I were stepsiblings. There were a few family photos on the refrigerator, but none of us all together, so if Sarah asked I could honestly tell her whose siblings were whose.

Lying is _exhausting_. Why is Derek even bothering to keep it up? (Though I doubt he's been putting as much thought into the ruse as I have.)

Sarah had finally decided on an outfit: my favorite jean skirt and a sparkly top, with black boots that I knew were impractical but couldn't bear to leave behind in London.

When we finally came back out to the living room, Derek was reading, yes, _reading_, his biology textbook. He knows how important it is to keep his grades up for hockey, but I didn't think he'd actually do work without me pushing and prodding! I am so happy he's finally maturing!

He looked up as we entered.

"What, no blue eye gunk tonight, Princess?" he said, but with less bite than usual, probably because Sarah was standing right next to me.

I put my hands on my hips and answered evenly, "No, Derek. No blue eye shadow tonight." What guys would I want to impress tonight? All the ones who'll be there think I'm with Derek, and I've already dated Sam.

"Well, it might help make you less hideous," he replied.

Sarah snorted. "That's real nice, Derek!"

I jumped in before Derek could say anything. "No, no, that means he thinks I look good. Derek has trouble giving compliments. Thanks, Dere-bear." I knew that would absolutely make him flip his lid, and I was right.

"That was low, McDonald," he muttered through gritted teeth.

Sarah looked back and forth between us. "You know, I'm not even going to try to understand you two. Whatever works, I guess." She smiled. "Dere-bear. That's cute."

Derek blushed. He actually _blushed_. "She doesn't really call me that. It's…sort of an inside joke."

Sarah looked to me and I nodded, trying to keep a straight face. She just shrugged. "Okay. _I_ think you look great, Casey."

"Thanks," I beamed. I _felt_ great. Tonight was going to be fun. I could forget about Derek and just dance and have a good time. I don't let myself do that very often, but I was determined to tonight. I had earned it.

There was a knock at the door then, and Sam entered. "Hey," he greeted us.

Derek, obviously glad he wouldn't have to talk to _me_ anymore, went over to do that fist bump thing they do. Then Sam came over to me and grabbed both my hands, looking me up and down. "Case, you look beautiful!" He spun me smoothly and then dropped my hands. "Promise you'll save me a dance?"

"Of course!" I told him, grinning.

Sarah was looking at Sam curiously. I'm sure she was majorly confused. Derek was my boyfriend, and yet Sam was the one being affectionate and showering me with compliments. (I don't blame her. It wouldn't have added up in my head, either.)

Sam nodded over at Sarah. "Hey, Sarah. You look really pretty, too."

Sarah thanked him and then raised her eyebrows at me. How in the world was I going to explain this? "Sam's one of my closest friends. We actually dated for a little while in high school," I said, hugging onto him to get the point across that we just had that kind of touchy-feely friendship. He put an arm around my waist and squeezed my hip a little too tightly, his message getting through not to overdo it. I wonder how much he knows about Derek's prank. I need to talk to him about it soon.

Sarah seemed to understand. "It's nice you're still friends. So, did you steal Casey from Sam, Derek?" Sarah turned to Derek, who was slouching against the wall nearby. He choked out a laugh.

"No, no, that relationship imploded all on its own," he said with a smirk.

_Ooh_, that little…If Sarah hadn't been right there, I would have done something violent.

And then Sam, wonderful Sam, saved the day. "I just wasn't ready for a real relationship at the time. Besides, Casey needs someone who can challenge her and give her all the attention she deserves. Derek is the one who does that."

"Aww. That's so sweet." Sarah smiled at Derek, who shot Sam a murderous glance when she turned away from him. I saw Sam narrow his eyes at Derek in return.

I don't get what the big deal is. Living with Derek is certainly challenging, and he's been giving me lots of (negative) attention for the last four years. Sam was basically telling the truth. What were the nasty looks all about?

It doesn't matter. It got Sarah thinking Derek and I were the perfect couple again, which is what matters. I think.

The four of us piled into The Prince and headed to Joel's apartment.

()()()()()

This party wasn't much different from the high school parties I'd been to. Dancing, eating, silly contests, and all that. But just the fact that it was a university party made it special. The major difference was that just about everyone but the freshmen could legally drink. There was plenty of alcohol being passed around, but it didn't seem like it was too out of control, which was comforting.

I was enjoying myself with the HGs. One of the girls had called in a favor to her deejay friend, so there was a good selection of music. And there were sandwich platters, desserts, and lots of snacks. I forgot that these hockey players eat a _lot_. I should have figured Derek wasn't the only one to empty out a fridge after practice.

I was avoiding Derek so far. He had found several single girls who were apparently former HGs, and was chatting them up. I saw Derek start to take a sip of something Joel had handed him, and before I could stop myself I was striding towards him and reaching for the cup, grabbing it out of his hands.

"Hey!" he spluttered, as he choked on the tiny mouthful he'd been able to swig before I got there. "Why do you have to be such a Prude-y McFunSpoiler?"

"Not one of your best nicknames, Der." I rolled my eyes. "You're not nineteen yet. Besides, is drinking the night before the big game really a good idea?"

Derek snatched the cup back from me and downed it before I could make another move. "Case, it's one drink. I already have two mothers, okay? You really don't need to hover over me."

I blushed. "I'm _not_ hovering. I just happened to catch your debauchery out of the corner of my eye."

He cracked up. "_Debauchery_? Is that one of those words you made up in that crazy little head of yours?"

The girls surrounding Derek must have slipped both of our minds, because I could see my surprise reflected on his face when one of them spoke up, "We'll let you and your girlfriend talk. See you, Derek." She winked at him as she left, but Derek looked too enraged to respond.

I stared him down angrily, and he looked right back at me, but neither of us managed to speak. This would have been the perfect opportunity for him to set the entire party straight about our actual relationship. This would also have been the perfect opportunity for me to insist we stop the charade. But neither of those things happened.

Instead, Mark and Brooke walked up to us. "Um, Casey? Derek?" she asked hesitantly.

I finally broke the eye contact with Derek and turned to Brooke. "Hey!" I said, trying to keep my voice light. I could feel Derek's eyes still on me, but I refused to look back at him.

Mark spoke up next. "We're doing a guys versus girls pie eating contest in the kitchen. Either of you want to join?"

"We're in," I said, not even bothering to check with Derek. I needed to vent my annoyance with him in the best way I knew how: some healthy competition. I grabbed him by the wrist and followed Brooke and Mark into Joel's spacious kitchen.

Sarah and Joel, along with Gina, another HG named Stacey, and two hockey players whose names I couldn't remember, were all lined up at the island counter, girls across from boys. They had trash bags with holes cut in the bottom on over their clothes.

"All the girls have to finish first to win," Brooke explained as the two of us donned our trash bags and went over to the girls' side to stand in front of our pies. They were lemon meringue, with huge dollops of whipped cream on top. I wish I had worn my hair in a ponytail!

I wasn't all that confident that I could win an eating contest against _Derek_, of all people, but I was going to try. Anything to keep my mind off that nasty stare-down we had just had.

Lauren was the judge, and she instructed us to clasp our hands behind our backs and bend over our pies. I caught Derek's eye across the counter, and he stuck his tongue out at me. Real mature.

To start us off, Lauren put two fingers in her mouth and let out an earsplitting whistle. It was all over in about thirty seconds. The guys won, unfortunately, but I was laughing too hard to care.

I had whipped cream in my hair, on my nose, and all down my front. I could feel little flecks of pie crust on my lips and chin, and there was meringue everywhere.

I looked across at Derek, and he was in bad shape too. He had even managed to get pie filling on his forehead. We looked at each other and kept laughing. Brooke was giggling up a storm next to me.

"And now for the fun part – cleanup!" she whispered in my ear. Mark came over and immediately began licking the pie filling off of her face.

Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. I noticed Sarah and Joel engaged in the same type of "cleanup." Gina had already gotten Ricky to de-pie her, and the others had found willing, uh, eaters.

Derek and I looked at each other in horror. But his expression lasted about two seconds, and by then he was around the counter and swiping his finger against my cheek. He put the glob of pie in his mouth and grinned. I screeched. No one even noticed because there was already so much noise in the place.

Not to be outdone, I dragged my whole hand across his face and stuck it in my mouth. I know I freaked out about him rubbing his hand on _my_ face the other day, but this was different. Then, it had just been his hand and my face. Now it was hands, faces, and _pie_. See the difference?

We continued to use our fingers to clean up the mess, and pretty soon Derek had moved on to my trash bag. He stuck a hand out to swipe down along my shoulder, and it got dangerously close to a place it shouldn't be. "I don't think so, Venturi," I said menacingly, and batted his hand away.

"Don't deny me my pie," he threatened, batting my hand back. I don't know how it happened, but in the next few seconds, we somehow ended up wrestling on the floor, getting even more covered in the remaining pie mess.

I could hear Brooke giggling again, and a flash went off near my head. "Hey!" I looked up from stuffing Derek's mouth full of leftover crust to see Brooke and Mark standing over us with a camera phone, laughing.

"You guys are too cute!" she squealed.

I know I was blushing like crazy by this point, so I removed myself from my less-than-flattering position over Derek on the floor. "We kind of got carried away, huh?"

Derek got up too, and made a show of brushing himself off. "Carried away? Not me." He peeled off his trash bag and took the towel Mark handed him to remove the rest of the pie from his face.

I did the same, and then realized that there was photographic evidence of my lapse in judgment. It's all Derek's fault. He's the only one who makes me lose control like that. "Brooke, please delete that picture!" I said, trying not to sound too desperate.

Brooked turned her phone over and showed it to me. "No way, it's funny!"

I have to admit, we did look pretty amusing. Derek leaned over my shoulder and looked at the picture. "I was about to get the upper hand any second, you know," he insisted, and I groaned.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep thinking that."

He shoved me lightly and smirked. "Oh, trust me, I will." He squeezed my shoulder and then walked away, probably to find Sam and tell him his version of events before I could get to him.

()()()()()

I didn't see Derek again until about two o'clock, when he came over to where I was dancing with Brooke, Sarah, and an HG named Susan.

"Hey Space Case, time to leave!" he whispered loudly in my ear. His breath tickled my neck and I jerked away from him instinctively, almost crashing into a potted plant in the process. Derek's arm shot out and righted me.

"I thought you said no drinking tonight," he said, eyes twinkling. The girls around us laughed. (Well, Sarah and Susan laughed. Brooke giggled.)

"Der-ek!" I glared at him.

He ignored me and put an arm around my shoulder, guiding me away from the HGs. "See you tomorrow, ladies," he told them.

I called goodbye as well, and they waved as we left. Still keeping a firm grip on me, Derek led me towards Joel.

"What are we doing?" I whined, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"It's always polite to thank the host, Case," he replied condescendingly. Jerk. I would have done that on my own. I can't think straight when he's got me in his clutches.

We thanked Joel quickly. Luckily, he was talking to Sam, so we just brought Sam with us when we left.

"Great party, huh?" he said as we were on our way to the car.

"Definitely." Sam and Derek bumped fists.

I tried once more, in vain of course, to get away from Derek. We were away from everyone by now; did he still have to keep his arm around me? I cannot stand him sometimes. "Yeah, wonderful party. Derek couldn't stay away from the booze and the women," I said, just to be rude.

Derek tighted his grip on me. "I only drank that one cup you tried to steal from me," he insisted, and I knew he was telling the truth. "As for the girls, well, I don't kiss and tell," he joked.

"Puh-lease," I scoffed.

Sam eyed me carefully. With his eyes still on me, he told Derek, "You know you can let go of her now, D. She won't run away; she needs the ride home."

Derek finally let me go. "Oh, yeah. You're right." He glared at me for no good reason.

I threw up my hands. "Thank you, Sam. Derek's brain function is very low tonight, as usual."

Derek opened the car door and practically shoved me into the backseat. "Sam has shotgun tonight, Princess. You're irritating me."

I made a face at him, and stayed quiet for the entire ride home, except to say goodbye to Sam when we reached his dorm.

I survived my first university party. And, more than that, I enjoyed myself. And oddly enough, the best part of the night was the pie-eating contest. Why can't Derek and I have fun like that all the time? I guess I just have to enjoy it when it happens. Derek certainly doesn't want to hang out with me more than necessary, and I'm sure he prefers being rude to me, as the end of the evening showed. It definitely seems to take very little effort for him to be a jerk.


	4. Interference

I definitely thought that the whole "Derek and Casey have a food fight and wrestle" thing from the last chapter was a total cliché by now. But you wonderful reviewers and the fabulous TheBucketWoman (go read Not Listening!) helped prove otherwise!

I love how some of you see Derek's flirty actions as subconscious, and some see them as a conscious plan to get Casey…you know, I'm not sure which it is myself! Keep looking for clues, though, and maybe we can figure it out together. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 4: Interference **

I called Sam from my room and spoke in a whisper. I knew he couldn't possibly be asleep yet; we had just dropped him off from the party.

"Okay, spill," I told him as soon as he picked up.

Sam yawned. "Case, I have to go to sleep."

"I'm sorry to keep you up. But I have to know what _you_ know about Derek's prank."

"Do we have to do this now?"

"Please! Just tell me!" I tried to steady my voice and keep it low. I couldn't risk Derek hearing us.

Sam sighed. "You're talking about how everyone thinks you're a couple?"

He must be really tired – what other prank would I be talking about? "_Yeah_," I said, trying to keep from sounding frustrated. "Why is he letting the charade go on? Why hasn't he admitted it was a joke?"

Sam made a noise that I couldn't quite identify. It could have been a "huh," or just another sigh. "Derek _always_ takes credit for his pranks," he finally said.

"I _know_, Sam. That's what's so weird about this one."

"Look, Casey, I don't know much, okay? I'm just playing along because Derek wants me to. Unfortunately, I have a feeling he's going to let this keep going."

"Why?!" I can't believe this.

"Because he's in too deep now. There's no turning back."

"So we have to pretend to be a couple for the next four years?"

I could almost hear Sam shrug. "Case, you know how Derek is. _I_ can't pretend to know what he's thinking all the time. But I'm pretty sure he's not going to be the one to give this up."

"Of course not. He'd rather 'date' me than admit he made a mistake. Stupid Derek."

"Can I go to bed now?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Sam. Thank you for going along with the whole thing."

"No problem. I'll see you at the game tomorrow."

"I'll be cheering for you!"

We said goodbye, and I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to make sense of what he had just told me. Sam didn't have any answers, either. It was all on Derek to get us out of this mess. And it was up to me to continue playing the role of his girlfriend until he did. If _I_ exposed our lies, _I_ would be the one to look bad.

()()()()()

To say I was nervous on game day was a huge understatement. Derek had been hovering over the toilet all morning. His pre-game nausea was rearing its ugly head, and I brought him some ginger ale and a wet washcloth to wipe his forehead, but then quickly left him alone.

With both of us completely frazzled, I knew it was best that we avoid each other at all costs. I went over to Sarah's so I could go to the game with her. (It actually worked out well; I had been trying to think of a way that I could get to the game without Derek seeing my sweatshirt!)

The HGs arrived at the arena about ten minutes early. We passed around blankets, snacks, and blue and yellow face paint, which we took turns applying to each other. (For so adamantly refusing the label of 'cheerleader,' the HGs were awfully peppy!)

My anxiety was starting to subside. I couldn't help but get caught up in the whole team spirit aspect. I tried to remember how I felt in high school when I was cheering at Max's football games. Most of them had actually been kind of fun. This wasn't going to be so hard. I doubted Derek would even see me in the crowd. And if he did, my face was painted. He probably wouldn't be able to tell which HG was me from all the way out on the ice.

Telling myself this didn't really make me believe it, but it sounds good, right? I tried to concentrate on getting swept up in the atmosphere. The arena was rapidly filling with fans.

When the Gaels finally came out onto the ice, I spotted Derek and Sam right away. I would have to try my best to keep them in sight during the game. It was not going to be easy. Everyone started to look alike after awhile in all their padding. I said their numbers to myself over and over so I would remember. Derek was number eighteen, and Sam was twenty-three.

The HGs were only a few rows up on the bleachers, right behind the home team box.

Derek wasn't playing right away. I guess freshmen have to earn the right to start a game. He and a few other guys, including Sam, headed towards us as the starting lineup got ready to do the kickoff. No, wait, that doesn't sound right.

I asked Sarah. It's called a face-off. It occurred to me that I should have asked Derek about this kind of stuff before the game, but he probably would have told me it was called a Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo-off or something.

Why am I even bothering to learn all this? Hockey is such a terrible sport anyway. Anything that encourages violence should not even be called a 'game.'

Gina called hello to Ricky, who wasn't starting, either. Unfortunately, Derek looked up just as I was looking down, and he caught my eye. Darn it!

The look of shock that passed briefly across his face was absolutely hysterical. I laughed at him, and then turned around and pointed as best I could to the big "Venturi" on the back of my hoodie. I faced front again, and he was still watching me, not even trying to hide his disbelief anymore. I waved, and, keeping my expression relaxed, turned my attention to wrapping a blanket securely around my legs. But before I looked away, I saw Derek nudge Sam and point up at me. I didn't bother to wait for Sam's reaction. I knew he'd probably just smile.

()()()()()

The Gaels were winning. The HGs were extremely excited; there was nonstop cheering and whooping and whistling. (Brooke was the only one of us who could actually whistle loud enough to be heard over the din of the crowd!)

Derek hit the puck and it went to Joel, who got a goal, so I knew this must be a good thing. Brooke told me it was called an assist. So I yelled, "Yeah Derek!" He looked over and waved, but I couldn't see his face. I was sure he'd heard my voice, though, since there was sort of a lull in the crowd at the moment.

So he doesn't mind me cheering for him, I guess. But really, who wouldn't, in that circumstance? I know he was happy with himself. All I did was help make his head bigger. Not the smartest move on my part, but hey, this is his day.

I cheered for Sam later in the game when he assisted a teammate named Larry. We were three goals ahead of the other team now.

Derek assisted one more time, and that goal won us the game. It's been a long time since I've felt so pumped up. I literally went a little hoarse from screaming so loudly! The HGs were all hugging each other and jumping around, so I joined the celebration. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Eventually, we packed up all of our stuff and went to wait outside the locker room. I knew I was supposed to make a big fuss over Derek, so my stomach was in knots. But I tried to breathe evenly and just go with my instincts when I saw him.

Luckily for me, I saw Sam first, so I ran over to him and gave him a big hug. "Congratulations! You were great!"

He swung me around. "Thanks! It felt incredible to be out there!"

"There were so many people watching, and everyone was cheering their heads off! You guys played so well!"

When I spotted Derek coming out of the locker room, Sam and I both stopped short in the middle of our gushing and general merriment.

Suddenly, he was a foot in front of me. I broke into a grin. I couldn't help it. He looked so proud of himself, and not in a smug way.

I flung my arms around his neck and squeezed until I ran out of strength. To my surprise, he hugged me just as hard in return. A real hug from Derek! I can't believe this. What a day!

He let go first, and pushed me back a few steps. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground. "Thanks for the sweatshirt," he muttered.

I wasn't quite sure what to say to that, since it didn't make a lot of sense, but strangely enough, I knew exactly what he meant. "You were fantastic out there," I told him, recovering from the awkwardness and getting excited again. "What a great game!"

He finally looked up and smiled back at me, and also at Sam. I'd forgotten Sam was standing practically right next to me.

Derek high-fived Sam with a "Great game!" and then held his hand out to me. A hug _and_ high-five, all in the span of a few minutes? Boy, I need to put him in a good mood more often!

I slapped his hand. He beamed. "We're all going to Pizza Hut to celebrate, wanna come, Case?"

I had been invited by the HGs already, of course, but I didn't bother to tell him that. From the look on his face, I really didn't think this had anything to do with the prank. I honestly thought he wanted me there, and that made my heart beat a little faster. I couldn't figure out why.

"Sure," I told him, and he slung an arm around my shoulder as we started walking towards the exit, along with the other players and the HGs. I knew this part was probably for everyone else's benefit, but who cares?

()()()()()

The place was packed, so the team had to squeeze into several booths. As luck (or unluck, really) would have it, I had to practically sit on Derek's lap. He put his arm around me so that we could have a little elbow room, and I have to admit it was kind of cozy, can you believe it? Sarah, Joel, Brooke, Mark, Sam, and Larry sat with us.

We had so much fun. Everyone was laughing and joking, still in high spirits from the win.

To my surprise, Sarah was all for my suggestion to order a vegetarian pizza. Everyone else groaned and insisted on pepperoni, so the two of us ended up sharing a veggie pizza.

I'm really happy I found such a good friend already. Figures that she's an HG, though, and I can't tell her what Derek and I really are. Sam's no help. I could use someone to complain to, about what a jerk he is for doing this to me. I just might have to break down and call Lizzie. Eventually. For now, though, I _have_ to keep it in.

"You don't know what you're missing," I taunted Derek, waving a slice of veggie pizza under his nose. He pushed it away.

"No way I'm eating that 'health' food." He pushed a pepperoni slice towards me. "Don't you want to live a little dangerously, Case?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

Joel grinned. "Yeah, Casey, it's just pizza. It won't kill you."

I rolled my eyes. "I refuse to be influenced by peer pressure."

Brooke nodded. "You tell 'em!"

Derek apparently wasn't finished drawing attention to me. "Come on, isn't 'Danger' your middle name?"

I glared at him.

"I think that Casey should only have to eat our pizza if Derek tries hers," Sam spoke up.

"Traitor!" Derek hissed.

Mark motioned towards the slice on my plate. "What'll it be, Venturi?"

I grinned triumphantly. "_Now_ who's afraid to live dangerously?"

Derek made a face. He's had vegetarian pizza before, of course. He _has_ lived with the McDonalds long enough to compromise on pizza many times. But I guess he didn't want to seem sensitive or whatever in front of his friends. Derek's so weird that way.

He reached for the slice on my plate to chants of "Derek! Derek!", but at the last second, he reached up and swiped the almost-eaten piece from my hand.

"That's cheating!" Joel cried. "That was mostly crust!" The others were quick to agree.

I realized that the less Derek ate of mine, the less I'd have to eat of his. So I stuck up for him.

"That's not true! He ate half a tomato and some mushroom!"

"Yeah!" Derek chimed in, looking over at me in surprise.

"Of course your _girlfriend_ is going to be on your side," Brooke said. "I agree with everyone else – that doesn't count."

I immediately tensed up, and I felt Derek do the same. Why did we have to be sitting so close?

I did my best to recover, but in the next second, decided to run with it. "I may be his girlfriend, but I'm telling you, there was definite consumption of vegetables!" I was keeping my tone light, but boy did it feel strange to call myself Derek's girlfriend.

I snuck a peek at Derek to see his reaction. He was _smiling_. Why would he be smil…oh. Right. Because my admission meant he was winning. It meant I was giving in to his stupid prank. Maybe I should have thought this through a little better!

Everyone looked to Joel, and he nodded. "Alright, we'll give you that. But now it's your turn."

To chants of "Casey! Casey!" I reluctantly took a bite of Derek's half-eaten pepperoni pizza. I made sure to get a mouthful of one whole pepperoni. There was lots of whistling and clapping.

"She totally showed you up, D!" Mark exclaimed with a laugh.

The others joined in the laughter and playful jeering at Derek. I have a feeling I gained back the points I'd lost by calling myself his girlfriend. I don't know exactly how Derek's keeping score in this twisted game we're playing, but when he gave my shoulder a squeeze and held out a hand to shake, I knew we were even again.

()()()()()

The ride home from the rink was uncomfortably quiet. I almost wish Sam had brought up the girlfriend comment. By not bringing it up, he was basically giving Derek permission to keep up the prank. But I guess his hands are tied. That's the price he pays for being friends with both of us. I do appreciate that he doesn't get in the middle of our fights, but sometimes I wish he would say _something_ helpful to both of us! Sigh.

"That was fun," Sam said as we reached his dorm. "And, as always, thanks for the ride."

"Totally," Derek answered. He and Sam did their fist-bump thing, and Sam called goodbye to both of us. I waved.

And then it was Derek and me. Alone again, not talking about the elephant in the room. I don't think I can take this much longer. And yet, I'm not prepared to let him win just yet. Darn my competitive spirit!

I had washed the blue and yellow from my face after the game, but I was still wearing my sweatshirt. I took it off as soon as we entered the apartment.

"Did you have fun today?" Derek asked. The question caught me off guard.

Derek being nice again for no real reason? I have to stay on my toes with him.

"I did have fun," I said carefully, trying to keep my face neutral.

"Good. Are you—" he couldn't quite seem to get out the rest of the question, and I had no idea what it was going to be.

"Am I what? Going to wash your hockey gear for you? Absolutely not." I held my nose, trying to make a joke to break the serious mood he was in. I swear, just when I think I have him figured out…

He smirked, but then turned into Serious Derek again. Serious Derek is unnerving. "I was going to say, are you going to keep coming to the games?" He looked anxious, like he was afraid of the answer. But that couldn't be, could it?

"Of course I will. I didn't decorate this sweatshirt so it could sit in my drawer, now did I?" As I spoke I folded it carefully over my forearm and started towards my bedroom. I looked back to see his reaction.

He was nodding, almost to himself. "Good," he finally said, and looked up with an expression resembling a smile.

With that, he headed towards the laundry room with his gear, and I continued to my room.

I just don't get it. He missed another opportunity to bring up the prank. And I was still too chicken to bring it up myself. So what am I supposed to do in this situation? I really, really wish I could ask my mom or Lizzie. But this game we're playing is so…_wrong_. I can't tell anyone that I'm pretending to date my stepbrother. That _is_ wrong, isn't it?

The scariest part of this whole thing is that I'm kind of enjoying myself. I love being an HG, and I love that people think I'm in a serious relationship. And Derek's never as bad as I claim he is. I'm almost having fun doing this whole deception thing with him. It's like that time we tried to sneak out to James Burton's party. We make a good team. (Except when Derek is driving.)

We play at McGill University for our next game. Sarah told me that some of the HGs go on the road with the team, since there's usually enough room on the bus. I hadn't been planning on going to the away games, but I think I will. After all, I want to be a good _girlfriend_.

It doesn't quite roll off my tongue yet, but before you know it I'm going to have even _Derek_ thinking we've been dating for three and a half years. Take that, Venturi.

I will _not _lose this game.


	5. High Sticking

Many thanks to silliana for all of the Queen's information. Especially for one of the Golden Gael-related tidbits in this chapter. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say it has to do with Casey's apparel. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 5: High-Sticking**

I have no idea how I'm going to get all this homework done by the end of the semester. It's slowly been piling up on me, and every time I make a dent, I get another assignment. I'll get it finished somehow. It's all very much still under control. But university is more challenging than I originally thought!

Needless to say, I was extremely relieved to get a break from studying all week. The away game was here before I knew it, and I was happy to have one stress-free day.

Oh, that's right. It _won't _be stress-free, because I'll have to deal with being Derek's girlfriend.

This is my life now, I guess. I never would have predicted that this is how university would turn out. I've barely even had time to look into joining any clubs because I'm always doing homework, housework, or going to a hockey practice.

Not that I'm complaining, really. The HGs are great. My classes are fun. Derek is still helping out at home. So really, I couldn't ask for more. (Except, you know, maybe a boyfriend who actually likes me. That would be a plus.)

The morning of the away game, Derek went out to breakfast with the guys, so Sarah, Brooke, Lauren, and I grabbed a quick meal at a nearby coffee shop. We were the only HGs who were able to go to McGill. It was just as well, because there were only a few open seats on the bus.

We met up with the team outside of the Memorial Centre. I spotted Derek and Sam sitting on a bench, and, it seemed, deep in conversation. They were facing away from me, and I headed over to let them know I was there.

Before I had a chance to say something, Derek's worried tone stopped me in my tracks. If I listened in for a little while, maybe I could find out something about his prank. I felt guilty to be eavesdropping, but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

"It's horrible, Sam. That girl from my bio class has been flirting with me all week, and I can't do anything back in case someone finds out. I don't want the team to think I'd cheat. I can't believe I'm worried about what they think."

"It must be tough," Sam agreed.

"There are so many girls here, but I've backed myself into a corner with Casey. We can never move forward because we're both too stubborn."

"You should just tell her—" Sam began.

"_No_," Derek said pointedly. Tell me what? What does 'move forward' mean?

"Your choice."

"I can't even think about other girls." Hmph. Serves you right, Derek. He got us into this mess. But why did he sound so sad when he said that? Shouldn't he be _annoyed_ that he can't think about girls? That's weird.

"I know, D." Well, _of course_ Sam knows. What a silly thing to say. Derek is nothing if not committed to his pranks.

"I don't get her. Why is she going along with it?" _He_ doesn't get _me_? Ha.

Sam shrugged. "Not sure." To save both our reputations, thank you very much.

"Maybe I should 'dump' her, so this can all just end." _What_? No way. He's not getting off that easy!

I'd heard enough. "Derek! Sam!" I called, before I walked any closer. I couldn't chance them thinking I'd overheard anything.

They turned and waved to me.

"Hey Case," Sam greeted me with a smile when I reached the bench.

"Hey. You guys pumped for today?"

"You know it." Sam nudged Derek, who was looking grumpy. I guess he was still upset that I'm ruining his prospects with other girls. Derek will never change.

"Me, too," I said, pointing to my sweatshirt.

Derek actually smiled at that. "Cool," was all he had the chance to say, before the team was waving us over to the street, where the bus had just pulled up.

()()()()()

The ride to Montreal took about three hours. I sat in the front with the HGs, and the team and coaches occupied the rear. The only time I had to interact with Derek was when I walked back to hand him the lunch I had packed.

I had taken off my sweater during the ride so that I could show off my new t-shirt. Sarah gave it to me yesterday. She apparently had a bunch left over from her work on last year's Homecoming committee.

I made my way to the back of the bus, watching Derek's face closely to see his reaction when he read the shirt. I was a few feet away from him when he noticed me, and his eyes bugged out of his head so far I was afraid they'd actually fall out.

"Like my shirt?" I asked coyly, pointing to the big letters that proclaimed: "I kissed a Gael and I liked it."

Derek swallowed hard and stammered out something unintelligible. I smirked, and walked the rest of the way towards him before handing him the sandwich. "This is for you, dear." He took it, seemingly recovered from his tiny panic attack. I was almost sorry he wasn't more freaked out. (But I certainly got the reaction I'd hoped for!)

The collective "aww" from nearby players made me blush like crazy. I was packing my own lunch, so I made an extra sandwich for Derek. No big deal.

"It looks great, Case, but I don't know if I should eat it," Derek said apologetically, referring to his pre-game nausea.

"Oh, I didn't think of that," I said. "But wouldn't you rather have something in your stomach?"

He looked torn. "I guess so." Derek turning down food? He must be really nervous.

We were leaned in close so that we could discuss this semi-privately, me standing in the aisle, leaning over his seat. This may not have been the best idea, because just then the bus lurched, and I ended up his lap. There was whooping from the nearby players, and my face flushed again. Just to stick it to him, I didn't get up.

"I really think you should try to eat it," I told him, ignoring our close proximity. Derek stared at me, seemingly disoriented. Finally, he snapped out of it, and shifted so that I was sitting more comfortably.

"You know, I actually feel fine. The first game's over with, and now I know what to expect. I don't feel sick today."

"That's great." I smiled. Then, to lay it on really thick, I raised my voice and continued, "Just think of me if you get nervous. I'll be rooting for you." I put my arms around his neck and hugged him, then got up off of his lap and headed back to my seat. I could hear the guys teasing him already.

"Thanks, Case," he called after me, probably just to seem nice in front of the team.

I am so winning right now! I'm going to make sure he never gets to flirt with that girl from biology. He made a 'commitment' to me, and he's _not_ going to dump me just so he can weasel out of this prank.

()()()()()

At the game, we passed around the face paint again, and huddled under the blankets. I was trying to think of new ways to mess with Derek. I had to maintain my advantage. He couldn't be allowed to get the upper hand ever again.

I got my chance when the team skated out onto the ice. Derek was in the box again, and as he skated towards it, we made eye contact. I guess he had been trying to find me in the stands. Going off a sudden burst of inspiration, I blew him a kiss.

It was perfect. He stumbled, and then slammed into the glass in front of the box. It took all of my willpower to keep myself from laughing at him. I can't believe I made the _hockey god_ lose his balance! That was payback for when he surprised me on _my_ skates last week.

I don't think anyone else saw him. I wouldn't have wanted people to think he was a bad skater, though, so I'm kind of glad no one noticed.

He didn't look at me again, and honestly, I don't blame him. He does learn from his mistakes (on occasion).

Derek scored a goal in the third period. I was so happy for him. The other HGs went crazy, too. We were all screaming his name, and Derek waved in acknowledgment, but he didn't make eye contact with me.

The Gaels won, and there was more celebrating. When Derek came out of the locker room this time, I was prepared. I ran over and tackled him, hugging him with all my might. "You were amazing, babe!" I added loudly for good measure. He tried to discreetly push me off of him, but I was clinging to him too tightly. "I'm so proud of you," I cooed.

Practically growling, Derek finally wiggled out of my embrace and looked at me sternly. I don't know what he has to complain about. He scored a goal, and our team won the game. He can suck it up and let me play the dutiful girlfriend for just a minute…oh, wait, he _can't_. Because that means he's letting me win. _Ha_!

"What's the matter, Dere-bear?" I asked under my breath. Before he could clobber me, I ruffled his hair with a laugh and ran over to congratulate Sam.

I think it's safe to say I'm maintaining a solid lead in this twisted game.

()()()()()

The next day, I went to the library to work on my homework, and on the way home I stopped at a nearby florist I had found during my explorations of Kingston. I ordered a dozen red roses, and though it put a dent in my wallet, it was _so_ worth it.

That night, I invited Sarah and Joel for dinner, and didn't tell Derek until an hour before they were supposed to arrive. He shook his head and grumbled under his breath. I think he's still annoyed at me for my behavior at the game yesterday. He hasn't said a word to me since. Oh, well. He can just deal with it.

Am I aware of how evil I'm being? Oh, yeah. I'm going to mess with him until he cracks. Derek can't get away with complaining that he can't date other girls. He brought that on himself.

Right on time, about halfway through dinner, the florist delivered the roses. I had filled out a card (using my best approximation of Derek's handwriting) that said "My love for you will endure even after these roses wilt. Yours forever, D." It was the least-Derek like thing I could think of: romantic and eloquent. He was going to freak.

Of course, though, he couldn't, because we had company. I went to answer the door, and gasped loudly when the deliveryman held out the roses.

"They're beautiful," I gushed. Sarah, Joel, and Derek came over to see what all the fuss was about.

"Oh, Casey, _roses_," Sarah squealed. She ran her finger softly along one of the petals.

"There's a note," I said, pretending to have just noticed it. I read it to myself and then sighed deeply. "They're wonderful, Derek, thank you."

Derek's eyes widened, but he croaked out a "You're welcome."

"Look," I showed Sarah the card. She read it, and then passed it to Joel.

Joel refused it when he caught sight of Derek's tense smile. "I don't have to read it," he insisted. Derek shot him a grateful look. I'm sure Derek wanted to read it himself first, before I showed anyone else! He quickly snatched it from Sarah and put it on the counter.

"You're so romantic, Derek, to do this for Casey," Sarah gushed, and Derek nodded carefully. I'm sure he didn't want to say something he'd regret.

"I _know_. Gosh, I can't believe it," I agreed. I pulled Sarah into the kitchen so that we could put them in a vase, and when we were finished, I came back over to where the guys were chatting awkwardly. Poor Derek. _Not._

I put my arms around his waist and he flinched, but he eventually hugged me back. "That was so sweet," I murmured into his ear loud enough for Joel to hear, lingering just long enough to watch the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Then I let go of him and insisted that we all continue our dinner.

"Yeah, he wasn't supposed to deliver them till later," Derek apologized, and led the way back to the table. (He's smooth. I'll give him that.)

I wasn't sure what to expect when we said goodbye to Sarah and Joel awhile later. As the door shut behind them, Derek turned to me and folded his arms.

"What?" I asked with as much innocence as I could muster. He glared at me.

When Derek didn't say anything, I threw up my hands and went over to start clearing the dishes. I glanced back to the door, and he was still standing there with his arms folded, now glaring at the floor.

I tried not to watch when he finally picked up the note and read it. After a few seconds, he started laughing. And laughing. And laughing. He didn't stop until he entered his room and shut the door with a bang. To be honest, it was a little scary. I have no idea what to expect from him. He knows that I'm willing to play dirty, and now I have a feeling he's going to do the same.

I willingly declared war on the master of manipulation. I just hope I won't regret it. Whatever happens, though, I'm not going down without a fight.

()()()()()

The next morning, I sat up quickly and glanced around my room. Everything seemed to be in order. I picked up my slippers before putting them on, checking for substances in the toes. They were okay.

I gathered up the clothes I'd laid out the night before and examined them. So far, so good. But wait…my bra was missing. Did I just forget to put it out?

Nope. One quick check of my underwear drawer revealed that he had stolen every last one. I even went to look for my bathing suit, which was hanging in the closet, but that was gone too. I should have known he'd be thorough.

My typical reaction to such a juvenile prank was to go yell at him. But I'd known something like this was coming, and I couldn't let him know that I cared.

I got dressed and washed up. No sign of my delicates in the bathroom. I hope he didn't hide them anywhere gross, like under his bed. I shuddered at the thought.

Derek was sitting at the kitchen counter, calmly eating a bowl of cereal. Behind him, strung over the kitchen cabinets like crepe paper, were my bras. He had actually taken the time to hook them together one by one.

Well, I'm not going to sit here eating breakfast with him like everything's fine. I grabbed a banana from the counter and headed for the door. I paused before opening it and glanced back at him, but he was staring into his breakfast intently. It was then that I saw through the window that it was raining pretty heavily. I seized the opportunity to tell him, in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Congratulations, Derek. You just ensured that every guy I walk by today will be staring at my chest. This shirt is see-through when it gets wet."

I stayed just long enough to watch his mouth drop open, and then headed out the door with a spring in my step. I got him _good_.

I really didn't want to walk around in a see-through shirt all day, so I texted Sarah and asked her to meet me on campus with a sweater and an umbrella. She did, and didn't ask why, which was very considerate of her. I felt like I owed her some explanation, though, so I told her about the shirt's flaw, leaving out the part that the shirt was all I was wearing.

It was likely that Derek had other pranks planned for me today, so when I got back to the apartment after my classes, I changed quickly, took down the kitchen "decorations," and did a quick sweep of my bedroom again. Nothing. Hmm.

I met up with Derek at Sam's residence hall, this time armed with umbrella and supportive undergarment. He didn't look at me, so I ignored him until Sam came outside. I spent the ride to the arena trying to figure out what prank Derek could pull while we were there. I couldn't think of much, aside from executing something in front of the HGs, which he wouldn't do, obviously. So I was safe for a little while longer.

When I met up with the girls, I thanked Sarah again and handed her the borrowed items. "You know, they sell these newfangled inventions at the campus store," she teased, holding up the umbrella. "They're pretty cheap. You can keep one by the door for when it rains…"

I smiled ruefully and showed her the umbrella I had brought. "I know, I know. I was running late this morning and wasn't thinking straight."

She patted my knee. "Don't worry, I was happy to help."

When the rest of the HGs arrived, I concentrated on relaxing and having some fun. I still had the upper hand, and I deserved a break from all things Derek.

()()()()()

After practice, and a _very_ long, silent car ride home, I entered our apartment ahead of Derek and practically gagged on the smell.

"Oh my God," I groaned, looking around the kitchen.

"It smells like it's coming from your room, Princess," Derek smirked.

I glowered at him. "What did you _do_?"

He shrugged.

Why is he so _infuriating_? I ran into my room and discovered several large lumps of tuna salad on my radiator. He had turned the heat up as far as it would go, so not only was it unbearably hot, the smell was suffocating.

Choking on the air, I turned the heater down and stared at the oozy globs of what used to be food. "I hate you!" I couldn't help screaming at him through the wall. I could just make out his obnoxious laughter.

I was not in the mood to go back out and face him, but I had to clean this up. I grabbed the materials I needed from the kitchen and headed back to my room without looking at him. As I scrubbed the radiator, I thought that the best way to dispose of the tuna would be in Derek's bed. Too bad he was one step ahead of me. As soon as I emerged from my room, with the tuna clumps in a plastic bag, I came face to face with Derek, who was standing guard at his bedroom door.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" I asked innocently.

He just smirked and made a 'run-along' gesture. Then he actually _followed_ me to the trash can. "You're not throwing that out in here," he said into my ear, so loudly it made me jump.

"Fine," I huffed, and led him out of our apartment, down the stairs, and to the dumpster. "This is ridiculous."

Derek kept crowding me while I threw the plastic bag into the pile of garbage, shut the lid, and went back upstairs.

He finally left me alone when I started making dinner. He didn't offer to help, of course. Instead, he sat at the counter and did _homework_. I know, I couldn't believe it, either.

We worked in silence for awhile, and when dinner was ready, we shared more silence while we ate. I don't know why it bugged me so much. I should have been happy at the prospect of being able to ignore Derek forever. But it was actually _more_ awkward that we weren't talking, than if we were fighting.

"I talked to Mom today," I finally spoke up.

He glanced at me and kept chewing.

"She said she and George will definitely make it to the next home game."

"Uh-huh," he said.

"Did you invite them to the hockey dinner?" The coaches were throwing a dinner party for the teammates and their parents this weekend to officially kick off the season. And the second home game would be the next day.

"Uh-huh," he said.

"She didn't say anything about it, are they coming?"

"Uh-huh," he said.

I threw down my napkin. "You are such a jerk!" I couldn't help yelling. He was making me crazy with his two-syllable non-answers.

I finished my dinner standing over the sink, and then went to my room for the rest of the night.


	6. Penalty Shot

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 6: Penalty Shot **

The next morning, nothing was amiss when I checked over my room. I had a feeling it would be another day of dodging bullets.

Everything was fine until I looked in my backpack for my books. It was empty.

Derek was already gone, to his early class. There was one book I definitely needed…I had a test today, and my study sheets were folded inside it.

Trying not to panic, I opened every compartment of my backpack. The notes weren't there. I sifted through the papers on my desk. Not there, either. After fifteen minutes of practically tearing my room apart, I was starting to panic. I needed those sheets! Derek knows me well enough to know not to mess with me on exam days!

I did my best to hold myself together until the class, which wasn't until after my lunch break. (Meanwhile, I had to explain to my first professor why I didn't have my books. I mumbled something about how I left them at a friend's dorm, and I'm a good enough student that he didn't mind. But it was still pretty embarrassing.)

I entered the exam classroom as early as I possibly could, and luckily, the girl next to me let me look at her notes with her until the test began. It helped, but I still wasn't confident enough. Derek knows math is not my best subject. How could he do this to me?

You might think I'm overreacting: math isn't my major, and it's just one exam. But I need to get almost perfect marks in order to keep my scholarship. I can't afford to slip up even once.

I finished the exam, and I think I did well, but my stomach was still in a knot. I couldn't seem to calm down, even though I had one more class to get through.

When I was finally done classes for the day, I still wasn't feeling any better. Maybe that's why I went a little crazy when I ran into Derek in the quad.

"Casey," he greeted me warily.

I didn't even bother to see who was around him. I lunged, empty bookbag held high, and hit him with it, over and over again. "How could you?" I kept sobbing.

Yes, I was crying by this point. I was so stressed, and yet so relieved to be done with the day, and so, so angry at Derek. Somehow that added up to me attacking my fake boyfriend with a backpack. If only it had had lots of heavy books in it!

Derek finally managed to get away from my insane thrashing, and grabbed my upper arms tightly. I dropped the bag and tried to fight him off, pounding my fists into his chest. He hugged me to him, effectively stopping my protests. I leaned into him, still whimpering as my crying died down.

"Guys, we're gonna take a walk," I heard him say, but I was too embarrassed to look up and see which guys he was addressing.

He led me away from them, and once I was finally able to stand on my own, I pulled away and grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at me.

"How _could_ you? I had a test today, and my notes were in my bag."

He wiggled out of my grasp, looking genuinely contrite. "I-I didn't know."

"You _do_ know how I am, though, Derek. How could you mess with my _school_ stuff? That's not okay." I was less angry now that he was actually showing some remorse. He doesn't always think about the consequences of his pranks, so I guess I can forgive him. It's just one of his many character flaws.

Derek bowed his head. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I realized after I did it that it was stupid; you could have had an essay due, or something. I've been trying to find you all day. Didn't you get my texts?"

I shook my head. I'd turned my phone off because of classes and hadn't bothered to check it when I had free time. I was too stressed out.

"Where are they?" I asked weakly.

He shrugged out of his backpack and unzipped it, revealing my books. He handed them to me, and I put them in my own bag.

"Let's make a deal, okay?" he suggested.

"What kind of deal?"

"No messing with each other's stuff when it's really important. I've learned my lesson: I've felt so guilty all day. And you know I don't _do_ guilt."

I couldn't help but tease him a little. I put on my best smirk. "Just so we're clear, does whether or not I have access to my bras count as 'really important'?"

He shrugged, and I thought I saw the slightest hint of a twinkle in his eye. Derek and girls. It never changes.

Did I just consider myself one of Derek's girls? That was weird. I pushed it out of my mind. "It's a deal. In fact, can we call a truce? I'm exhausted."

He gave me a long look. "Fine. Truce." I couldn't read his expression.

"So who exactly saw my little, um, outburst?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Derek gestured to the crowded quad. "The entire student body."

I shoved him. "Come on. I hope not." Though he was right. I'm sure a lot of them did. Wonderful! "Who was with you?"

He winced. "Mark and Ricky."

I put my head in my hands. "Nooo."

"Unfortunately, yes. Don't worry. I'll figure out something to tell them."

That was the closest he came to mentioning his big prank to me. _That_ prank didn't count in the truce. It was bigger than both of us, and we were stuck in it.

"Please do." I turned to go, and he caught my arm.

"Really, Case, I _am_ sorry," he said almost pleadingly. Maybe he was apologizing for today _and_ for the big prank. I couldn't be sure.

"I know you are. Thanks." To my surprise, he gave me a hug. Maybe Ricky and Mark were still watching us.

I didn't wait around to find out. I needed to get home and wash my tear-stained face. It was then that it occurred to me: Derek hadn't minded my tears today. Either he just did his best to ignore them, or he really was sorry enough to be fine with comforting me. Hmm.

()()()()()

Mark and Ricky gave me sympathetic looks when I saw them at practice, so I guess Derek told them that he had done something wrong. Or maybe he told them I was a maniac who went around assaulting people for no reason. You know what? I don't even care. Brooke didn't say anything, so I guess Mark had kept what he saw to himself. Thank you, Mark.

We had another away game tomorrow, at Carleton University in Ottawa. Queen's was two for two so far, so I felt like I wanted to go to support the team. But on the other hand, a little distance from Derek wouldn't be such a bad thing. I could have the apartment to myself for the night.

Sarah seemed disappointed that I wouldn't be going, but I held firm.

When Derek came home from the game late Wednesday night, I was just about to brush my teeth. I heard him banging cabinets in the kitchen and stomping around. Uh-oh. He was upset. I hope we didn't lose.

"We lost," he growled at me when I came into the kitchen. He had a spoon in a tub of ice cream and was downing mouthfuls of it violently.

"That's a shame," I said carefully, determined not to make him any angrier.

"It's all your fault, you know," he growled again, and I wasn't sure I heard him correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"This is the first game you've missed, and we lost." He pressed his hand to his forehead and groaned. Guess the brain freeze had set in.

"Der, I know you're superstitious, but really, how could it be my fault? I'm not your lucky charm."

Derek grimaced. "What if you are?"

I took the spoon out of his hand to keep him from digging in again. "Trust me, I'm not. You guys just had an off night, that's all." Without thinking, I took a mouthful of ice cream for myself. Ew, Derek germs. I handed him his spoon back and got another one from the drawer.

"I was terrible. I missed so many passes, and a very easy goal. It was bad, Case." He stole my new spoon and used it to get more ice cream, so I had to use the old one. He is so annoying!

"You can't beat yourself up," I insisted. "You'll play better next time."

"Yeah. Because I'll be lucky. _You'll_ be there."

Something about the way he said that gave me a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. Did my coming to the games mean that much to him? Or was it just that he thought I was lucky?

"Look, you used to think Edwin was your good luck charm. He didn't go to all of your games, and he certainly wasn't at the last two games. So luck can change."

Derek was silent for a moment. We had a little battle with our spoons to get to a gigantic chocolate chunk in the middle of the container. He won.

"See, your luck is changing already," I told him seriously. But I ruined it by giggling.

He held out the spoon. "Here," he said.

"Nope, you got it, fair and square."

He shook his head. "You have it." He put the tip of the spoon to my lips. I pulled back. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it was the intensity in his eyes. I can't even describe it. I have no idea what was going through his head.

He didn't move, so I opened my mouth, and he fed me the ice cream. We didn't take our eyes off of each other the entire time.

I started to get goosebumps. The ice cream wasn't even that cold anymore. It's just….I can't explain it. Some sort of…vibe passed between us.

I rubbed my arms, trying to get rid of the goosebumps.

"You cold?" Derek asked. His voice sounded weird. I guess he noticed that…whatever it was, too.

"No, I'm fine. But I should get to bed." I put my spoon in the sink. "Good night. I'm sure Saturday's game will be better."

"Yeah." I watched him slowly put away the ice cream.

We had actually managed to have a conversation without fighting. It seems like forever since that's happened.

I stood at the sink brushing my teeth, and Derek joined me a moment later. I finished first, and Derek said good night through a mouthful of toothpaste. I turned around to smile at him, and he smiled back. The smile was a real one; it reached his eyes. For being in such a bad mood when he got home, he sure was singing a different tune now. All thanks to my encouragement, perhaps?

Since when? That's what I can't figure out. When he asked me to come to his hockey practice that first day, I had been sure he had an ulterior motive. And he had, of course: that stupid prank. But at the same time, it seemed he wanted me there. And it's obvious now that he wants me at the games. But why does he care what I do? I can't really be _lucky_. He's not _that_ superstitious.

I lay in bed trying to figure all this out, and getting nowhere. The most important question was, what was the ice cream moment all about? Now that I thought about it, that wasn't the first time he'd looked at me in that mysterious way. And I'd sort of had the same feeling when I wiped my face with his shirt at the ice rink. And after the pie-eating contest at Joel's. We'd locked eyes then, too.

Maybe it's just awkward because we're getting closer? But we're not any closer than we were last year. Of course, last year we weren't living alone together. Maybe that's it. This new dynamic between us is making it hard to be close to each other. Or something.

I wish I could talk to my mom or Lizzie about this. They'd know what to say. But I can't tell them any of this without explaining one other aspect of our new relationship dynamic: the 'relationship' part.

That has to be it. We're just feeling weird around each other because everyone we know thinks we're together.

And that's another thing. The fact that he pulled this prank bothers me, but the actual "let's pretend we're dating" thing…doesn't. It's weird to call myself his girlfriend, but at the same time, it's not _that_ weird.

I tried it the opposite way. "Derek is my boyfriend," I whispered into the darkness. See? It's _not_ _that weird_.

What is _wrong_ with me?

I had one possible answer, but I was afraid to let myself think it. Is it possible that I wouldn't be entirely opposed to the idea of Derek actually being my boyfriend?

That's ludicrous. Derek can't stand me. He's nice sometimes, but to him I'll always be the annoying keener. And why would _I _even like Derek? He's obnoxious, and rude, and so immature. My total opposite. _And_ he's a skirt-chasing cad. That's a proven fact. He hates that he can't hit on other girls while he's 'dating' me.

Not to mention the fact that he's my _step_brother. That's just one extra syllable away from _brother_. I shouldn't even be thinking about it.

This is why Derek's prank is sick, and twisted, and wrong…

…and for some reason, I'm enjoying going along with it.

Get it together, McDonald. You _cannot_ like Derek like that. It's not even an option.

Right?

Right.

Good, glad we got that cleared up. It's time to forget about it completely.

I rolled over and pressed my face into the pillow, willing myself to fall asleep. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for a long, long time.

()()()()()

I thought that the next day might be awkward, but oddly enough, it wasn't. We had breakfast together and made small talk. He was back to his old self. He couldn't prank me, he had no reason to be angry at me right now, and it was a new day. So the morning was quite civil.

After classes, it was off to practice as usual. I stared at him as he made a great pass to Sam, who scored.

Watching Derek didn't make my heart beat faster. I didn't get nervous or klutzy around him. And he most definitely didn't make me feel like I was special.

Those had been the precursors to every single one of my last relationships. My systematic approach doesn't lie. So it was completely preposterous to think that I might actually have a crush on Derek. The whole prank thing had just been getting to me, that's all. But if we could continue to enjoy each other's company without wanting to kill each other, I think we can make it work for awhile.

I tried not to think about the fact that I'd be seeing Mom and George the next day for the hockey dinner. I had decided, during my sleepless night, that the best course of action was to ignore the issue completely. The odds were low that they would find out we were 'dating.' Everyone's parents would be there. They'd talk to the other adults, and Derek and I could be friendly without arousing suspicion from the team _or_ our parents. There was no reason why the night wouldn't go smoothly.

"Earth to Casey!" Brooke called as she waved her hand in front of my face.

I blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking about the hockey dinner."

Brooke and Sarah exchanged a grin. "Yeah, it's gonna be great," Brooke said.

"Did you get a dress yet?" Sarah asked.

My eyes widened. "I have to get a dress?"

"It's a formal dinner," Gina explained.

"I guess I hadn't realized. I should probably get one tonight, huh?" Gosh, it's not like me to be so last-minute. But to be fair, I _have_ had a lot on my mind lately!

"I'll go with you," Sarah offered, and Brooke nodded.

"We can go to Cataraqui; you'll have lots of choices," she suggested.

"That would be amazing, thank you. You guys are the best," I couldn't help gushing.

"Anything for a fellow HG," Brooke replied with a smile.

Hearing that made me feel a little guilty. These girls were my friends, and they didn't know one of the most basic things about me: my family situation. But they were so nice, and I was grateful to have made friends so quickly. So for the umpteenth time, I put my thoughts about the prank mess aside, and tried to let myself have some fun.

The Cataraqui Town Centre was about ten minutes away, so Sarah drove Brooke and me there right after practice. We had dinner before we started shopping, which was a good thing, because Sarah and Brooke were serious shoppers. And I thought _I_ was thorough!

"Try this," Brooke called, tossing a gown over the door of the dressing room stall. "And these." She threw five more dresses at me.

"Slow down, the girl only has two hands," Sarah called from the next stall.

I opened the door to reveal Brooke's first suggestion. She actually gasped. "Stop right there. _That_ is the perfect dress."

I twirled in the mirror. It was a pretty sexy dress. I found myself wondering if Derek would like it, but quickly pushed the (icky) thought from my mind.

Sarah came out with her own dress on, but didn't give me a chance to remark on it. "Oh, Casey, it's gorgeous!" she gushed. "Derek will be insulting you like crazy!"

Brooke shot us a curious look, but I was too busy giggling with Sarah to explain. I love that Sarah's _trying_ to understand my relationship with Derek. But she can never know how truly screwed up we really are.

()()()()()

It was pretty late when we got back to campus. Sarah dropped me off at home, and Derek was waiting for me at the door.

"I need your help with my homework," he said sheepishly. At least he's not above admitting it now. That's progress.

"Sure, I have plenty of my own to do. We'll work together," I told him with a smile.

He smiled back, and pulled me over to the couch. "I remember doing this mitosis stuff in high school, but you explain it so much better than the professor," he said.

I blushed at the compliment. I don't think he even realized he gave me one, because he was already absorbed in his textbook.

"Hey Derek?" I couldn't help but ask, even though it was potentially dangerous territory. "Why do you care so much? You're a film and media major. This is just general biology."

"And you're a women's studies major, but you freaked out over your _math_ test," he smirked, giving my shoulder a gentle shove.

I sighed. "Touché. I just meant…you've really impressed me this semester. You've been studying really hard, and I can't figure out why. Is it because of hockey?"

He nodded. "It's mostly because of hockey. Coach wants us to have good marks. And if I fail something, I get kicked off the team. But it's also the fact that last year was pretty scary. I honestly didn't think I would graduate for awhile. I never want to put myself in that position again. And I like my classes for the most part, so that makes me want to try harder."

"Aw, Der, you're growing up!" I teased, and he shoved me again.

"I'm done sharing. Explain mitosis," he commanded.

I rolled my eyes, and we got to work.


	7. Body Check

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 7: Body Check **

We ended up spending the rest of the night working together on homework. We have different courses, obviously, so we were doing different work, but at the same time, we were able to help each other out. I had to study for my history quiz, so Derek would read the question, get the answer wrong, and I'd explain the right one to him. In between, I'd help him make sense of science. It was actually a lot of fun. I don't know why he's able to clear my head like he does. I guess I get some sort of satisfaction out of explaining things to him. Maybe I just like to feel superior! But it's more than that. I have to acknowledge that he really is smart, even if he needs twenty minutes of discussion in order to figure out how to get from prophase to telophase.

We do have a good system. A few years ago, I never would have thought that we would work so well together. And here we are, working together like the "couple" we supposedly are. Go figure.

On Friday morning, I hung my new dress on the back of my closet door and picked out my shoes and accessories. I couldn't help it: I was looking forward to Derek's reaction. The dress was extremely tight-fitting and low-cut, but in a classy way. I had a feeling he wouldn't approve. I wasn't sure _what_ this had to do with our sick game, but…it did. Maybe I'd wear blue eyeshadow just to spite him.

I have to admit, I was getting nervous about seeing our parents. I really didn't anticipate any problems. But still, I was a little apprehensive. I know I'm a worrywart, but can you blame me? I doubt Derek has given it any thought. I wish I had his easygoing attitude.

They were arriving this afternoon. Since our apartment is so small, they reserved a hotel room for the night, and they'll come to the game with us tomorrow.

()()()()()

"I missed you so much!" Mom hugged me as tight as she could and didn't let go until we were both straining for air.

"I missed you, too," I agreed, and before I knew it Mom had switched to Derek, and George swept me into another tight hug.

"This place looks wonderful," George commented as he took in our apartment. "I'm so proud of both of you."

"We knew you'd be fine off on your own. My little girl is…" Nora started sniffling. I didn't get a chance to find out exactly _what_ I was, because she was too busy blowing her nose.

"Hormones," George stage-whispered to us, and Derek and I exchanged a smile.

"How've you been feeling, Nora?" Derek asked, to take her mind off her tears.

"I'm fine. This little guy's growing so fast." She patted her stomach, which was noticeably bigger than the last time I'd seen her. I felt a tug in my chest: it felt weird to not even know what my own mother looked like day-to-day. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed her until now.

"You think it's a boy, huh?" I asked.

"It _has_ to be a boy," Derek cut in.

George ruffled Derek's hair, which he quickly patted down in frustration. "We'll be happy whether it's a boy or a girl, right?" He looked pointedly at both of us.

"Of course!" I spoke up, and Derek grunted his agreement. He just wants another little brother to boss around now that Ed's getting older. I don't care what the baby is, as long as he or she is healthy. But of course insensitive Derek wouldn't be thinking that way.

"The kids wish they could be here. They all say hello," George told us. Mom nodded, her trickle of tears finally subsiding.

"We understand. I know Lizzie and Edwin are busy with high school stuff," I replied.

"Yeah, who would have thought Ed would be on the football team," Derek said with a grin.

That was news to me. "He didn't tell me that! _Our_ Edwin is playing football?"

Derek laughed. "Not quite."

"He's the mascot," Mom explained.

"Aw, good for him!" I was excited for Edwin. He deserved to have some fun.

"And you know how well Lizzie's doing with soccer," Mom went on. We all nodded.

"And Marti is getting top marks so far this year," George said proudly. "I think she wants to show her Smerek that she can get into university, too." He smiled at Derek.

Derek sighed. "I wish I could be there to tease her about her new keener status."

It wasn't until then that I realized how much Derek must miss her. In fact, he probably thinks about our siblings and misses them just as much as I do, even though he hasn't admitted it. It made me want to hug him.

"I'll make sure she keeps it up, and you can do your worst at winter break," George was telling him.

"George!" Mom scolded. "Our children are too mature for that kind of behavior."

Oh, if she only knew what has been going on here for the last few weeks. If she only knew.

()()()()()

We talked for a little while longer. George was working on an important case. Mom was trying to fit in as many clients as possible before she had to take some time off for the baby.

It'll be so strange to have a new baby at our house, when we're not even living there anymore. But I know we'll be able to see him (or her!) often enough. I have to remember that my siblings' lives are allowed to go on without me. That's been a tough reality to accept. I guess seeing Mom and George for the first time in so long brought on a wave of homesickness.

Maybe I'm just wishing for a simpler time. You know, a time when I wasn't 'dating' Derek. Sigh.

Mom and George went back to their hotel room to change for the dinner, and Derek and I did the same. I actually had butterflies in my stomach as I came out of my bedroom. Mostly because I couldn't get the back of the dress to zip up all the way, and I had to ask _Derek_ for help. Talk about embarrassing.

"Hey Der?" I stepped into view of the couch and his mouth hung open for a second before he wisely closed it. I wasn't sure if that was a good reaction or a bad one, and he wasn't letting on either way. "Would you…?" I couldn't get the rest of the words out, so I motioned towards my zipper.

He swallowed loudly, and came over to stand behind me. I took in his appearance. He had on a dinner jacket and collared shirt, and he looked _good_. (What? It's just a fact. I'm not the first one to call him handsome, and I won't be the last.)

"You want me to zip you up?" he confirmed, though it came out kind of squeaky and definitely not Derek-like. I knew this was a mistake. The awkwardness was going to ruin our current level of comfort with each other. But what could I do?

I'm glad I couldn't see his face. He grabbed the zipper as I held my hair out of the way, and slowly zipped up the back of my dress. He tucked the tag under when he was finished, and the brush of his fingers on my skin made me shiver for no real reason. I hope he didn't feel that.

I turned around and thanked him, but he kept his head down and returned to the couch. As he walked by, our shoulders brushed, and that time I felt _him_ shiver.

There was that weird _vibe_ between us again. Why can't I just take it as my stepbrother helping me out? I hate that I have to read into things all the time. Derek was just being nice, that's all. It's not as rare as I used to think it was. So it's possible the vibe was caused by me, overreacting to the elephant in the room again.

I felt like throwing something. Preferably at Derek's head.

Sadly enough, I had actually been looking forward to whatever witty insult Derek would have come up with for what he thought of my dress. But none came.

Luckily, our parents showed up a second later.

()()()()()

The dinner was held at Ban Righ, the dining hall only a few blocks from our apartment. When we entered the hall, it was nothing like I'd expected. A dance floor was set up in front of a stage, where a band was playing. I recognized a guy from my psychology class, so I guess it must have been a school band. The food was set up at the opposite end from the stage, buffet-style. It was pretty crowded at the tables in the middle; every hockey player must have brought his parents.

We spotted Sarah and Joel quickly. "I'm going to introduce us to Joel's parents," I said, tugging on Derek's arm pointedly. I couldn't risk them being the ones to do the introductions. I could hear it now: 'This is Derek and his girlfriend, Casey.' We could _not_ have that. I tried to communicate this to Derek with my eyes, and I think he got it, because he motioned for our parents to follow.

"Hey, I'm Derek, this is Casey, and these are my parents, Nora and George. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Harris," Derek spoke up quickly as soon as we reached Joel and Sarah.

"Nice to meet everyone," Mr. Harris said, and he and his wife shook all of our hands. He and George started in on how the hockey team was doing this season, so I pulled Sarah aside and discreetly motioned for Derek to do the same with Joel. The less time they spent with our parents, the better.

"You look perfect," I told her.

"Me? _You_ look perfect. What did Derek say when he saw you in that dress?" Sarah's eyes were sparkling. I'll bet she thought he loved it. Ha.

"He was speechless," I told her honestly, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Wow, that's good, right? I knew he'd love it!"

I nodded, trying to keep up my cheerful demeanor. "Thanks again for taking me shopping."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Of course."

Brooke joined us then. We exclaimed over each other's dresses, Brooke giggled over how hot Derek looked, and we went looking for a table.

Lauren and Gina waved us over to a table near the dance floor. Ricky and Carter were already seated next to them. I saved a seat for Derek, though I had no idea what his plans were. After a few minutes, he appeared at our table and casually took the seat next to me. I raised my eyebrows questioningly, and he bent to whisper, "They're sitting on the other side with Joel's parents," in my ear. Well, that's a relief!

I didn't cross paths with either of our parents again until we got into the buffet line. Derek stood close to me and whispered, "They're a few people behind us. I think we're okay. Dad is talking hockey, mostly, and your mom always finds things to say."

"Yeah," I whispered back. "Why do I feel like we're spies on a secret mission or something?"

He cracked a smile at that, and I grinned back. I realized that this was yet another time we were talking about the prank, _without actually talking about the prank_. So frustrating!

I caught Sarah's eye, and she winked at me as Derek and I moved away from each other. She probably thought we were whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. Gross.

Sam came up to us in line, then, startling both of us. "Hey, how's it going?" He glanced back at our parents.

I gave him a hug. "It's fine." I pulled back and crossed my fingers. He fist-bumped Derek.

"Your parents here?" Derek asked.

"They actually did come, can you believe it? And," he paused, grinning, "I brought a date."

That made me happy. Good for Sam. He hasn't exactly had the best luck with girls. "Where is she?"

"She's putting her stuff down at the table. I put us next to you, Case, hope that's okay."

"Of course!"

She came over a moment later. "Hi, Casey!" she beamed.

"Oh my gosh, Anna!" Sam's date was none other than the girl who let me look at her notes before the math exam. "What a coincidence!"

She hadn't met Derek yet, so they introduced themselves. Derek looked her up and down approvingly. I felt the slightest twinge of triumph. Yet another girl Derek couldn't think about, but she was off-limits for a different reason.

Sam and Anna squeezed in front of us in line, and we all got our plates and sat down. Sam's parents came over to say hello, and luckily they didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary between Derek and me.

Dinner was nice. We kept a lookout for our parents out of the corner of our eyes, but everything seemed to be normal so far. (As normal as life has been for us lately!) I couldn't finish my chicken, so Derek ate the rest of it off of my plate. Nothing unusual there. Typical Derek. A few couples got up to dance, Sam and Anna included, but Derek and I didn't seem out of place for staying at the table. I just leaned towards him and we spoke in whispers. Even if our parents _had_ looked over at us, there wouldn't have been anything wrong with that picture. We could have been talking about the weather. Instead, Derek and I began brainstorming how to handle the game the next day.

"You should wear your sweatshirt," he insisted. "The HGs will think something's wrong if you don't, and they might ask questions."

"That's true. But won't Mom and George wonder why I'm wearing it?"

"Just don't tell them what the HGs are." I couldn't help but think that we were getting dangerously close to actually talking about the prank. But I just went with it: what else was I supposed to do? It's not like we could get into a fight about it here. Even Derek has _some_ self-control.

"I'm sure they'll be so interested in the game that they won't have time to do much talking, anyway," I reasoned.

"Definitely."

"And you'll just have to play extra hard. If you score a lot of goals they'll be cheering too much to talk." I poked him in the shoulder.

"Oh, I see, that way it can be all my fault if they hear something they shouldn't," Derek teased, tugging on a strand of my hair. I noticed that he carefully avoided touching the skin on my bare shoulders.

"That's my evil plan," I agreed with a smirk.

"Your what now? You're telling me that you're contemplating sabotage? Case, I am shocked!" He pretended to look indignant. "You're my lucky charm! You can't do that!"

I beamed without even really meaning to. "Der, we agreed that I'm not lucky. You're just a great player."

"Oh. Well, I can get on board with _that _logic. After all, you are pretty smart." He adjusted his collar and sat up a little straighter.

Where was this coming from? Oh my god, we're complimenting each other with _actual_ compliments. So weird!

Sam and Anna returned to the table, and Sam caught sight of our smiles. "Well, you two look like you're having fun," he said mischievously.

Derek immediately dropped his playful manner and moved his chair away from me. I glared at Sam. He mouthed "sorry" to me and took a seat. That's great. He scared Derek away just as we were getting along better than ever.

We sat in awkward silence for a few minutes as Sam and Anna chatted away. I was grateful for the distraction when Brooke came towards us from the dance floor. "Hey." She pulled up a chair next to me. "Not dancing tonight?"

I shrugged. "Derek has two left feet. I try not to dance with him too often to protect my toes."

Brooke giggled, and Derek glared.

"I'll take that chance," she offered. "That is, if you don't mind."

"Oh, well…" I wasn't sure if I minded or not. She _is_ awfully flirty, but she has Mark. What could possibly happen? And why should I care? Just because a slow song had come on didn't mean anything.

To my utter astonishment, Derek stood abruptly and held out a hand to me. "Sorry, Brooke, I'm only going to be stepping on _Casey's_ toes tonight."

She blinked several times, but all she said was, "Okay. I'm gonna go find Mark."

I watched her go, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. It took me a moment to realize Derek was still standing over me with an outstretched hand.

"Let's dance."

I stared at his proffered hand. "Huh?" was all I could get out.

"Let's dance." I met his eyes, and he shrugged, keeping his expression frustratingly unreadable.

I glanced at Mom and George's table. They both seemed to be deep in conversation. What could it hurt? I don't know if he was just keeping up the 'relationship' act, or if he wanted an excuse to stop talking to me, but if he wanted to dance, I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. He may not have the best rhythm on the dance floor, but he _can_ slow dance.

"Okay, let's do it," I said evenly, taking his hand and letting him lead me out onto the floor.


	8. Slap Shot

All I have to say about this chapter is that "The best things/Happen while you're dancing/Things that you would not do at home/Come naturally on the floor…Even guys with two left feet/Come out all right if the girl is sweet/And if by chance their cheeks should meet…"

Okay, that's enough quoting of _White Christmas_. Sorry.

One more thing…I'm using Frogster's brilliant suggestion: the song they're dancing to is officially "Careless Whisper." It's perfect for them. Thanks, Frogster!

This is THE chapter, folks. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 8: Slap Shot **

Derek and I reached the dance floor. He put one hand on my waist, and held out the other, all without making eye contact. I clasped his hand, sliding my other arm around his neck.

You know that vibe that keeps passing between us? It was going full force now. I could barely look at him. My hip felt like it was on fire under his fingertips (with the fabric in between, of course). I pulled our intertwined hands closer to our bodies, and tried to concentrate on swaying to the music. When I finally did look at Derek, my eyes refused to look away. We were locked in an intense stare. Derek's eyes were darker than I'd ever seen them. He _had_ to be feeling the strange sensation between us, too.

I let Derek lead. With our eyes still locked together, he spun me. I turned back into him more forcefully than I'd intended, so that we were dancing with only a centimeter between us. I closed the miniscule distance, and he sucked in his breath. He stared straight ahead for a moment, and then looked back at me.

He looked so different than he normally does. He wasn't smiling with his lips, but his eyes were bright. They looked so warm and soft.

I tried to push the fact that this was all a game out of my mind, and enjoy myself.

I searched his face, trying to find a hint that this was a joke. But he seemed to be serious. I moved the hand that was around his neck up into his hair, twisting little strands around my fingers. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he moved his hand from my hip to my back, drawing me even closer into him.

It was uncomfortable looking at him so closely. I turned my head to the side, and before I knew what I was doing, my cheek was resting against his shoulder as I stroked the back of his neck. His hand was roaming my back lightly, and every time he touched my bare skin, I couldn't help but shiver.

He pulled our other hands apart and moved both hands to my lower back, bunching up my dress in his fingers because his grip was so tight. I had no choice but to put my now free arm around his neck.

Suddenly I was spinning out again. This time, he pulled me back in so that we were back-to-chest. He swayed us to the music, grabbing both of my hands in his and crisscrossing our arms against my stomach. I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead into his neck. I could feel him swallowing and then exhaling deeply, his breath tickling the top of my head.

After a few moments of this I couldn't take it anymore…I felt this strange urge to look into his eyes again. I spun myself out, grasping his shoulders as I leaned back into him. Derek grabbed my waist and pulled me closer. My arms bent back towards me as he pushed us together, and I kept my hands on his chest, palms pressing into him as if to keep my distance, and yet wanting to be closer. His warmth was intoxicating. I completely lost track of everything else and just stared into his eyes as we danced.

Derek leaned me forward, and, keeping his hand firmly on the back of my neck, we dipped nearly down to the ground, my weight almost entirely supported by his knee. We were so close our noses were just about touching. We stared at each other and our breath quickened at the same time. I felt like something important was about to happen. Was Derek about to say something? He pulled us both back up at the exact moment I couldn't take the proximity anymore without…something…happening.

We straightened up into our original positions: hand-to-hip, hand-to-neck, and our other hands clasped. Needing a break from the intensity, I put my head on his shoulder again, and he pulled his hand up from my back to stroke my hair.

Without meaning to, I let out a soft "Mmm." I guess I was just caught up in the moment. Derek removed his hand from my hair immediately and stopped moving. I must have made him realize what we were doing. Maybe he had been as inexplicably swept away as I was. I snapped my head up and backed away, dropping our intertwined hands to my side.

I needed to get away from him. We had put on quite a show, and the game was getting more out of hand than usual. But I'm not exactly sure who won that round. And why was I feeling so lightheaded?

"I have to go," I mumbled, and ripped myself out of his grasp. He started to say something, but I was already too far away, and it apparently wasn't something he could say loudly. The song changed then, to a more up-tempo beat, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I walked off the dance floor as quickly as I could without attracting attention, and made it to my seat. I grabbed my purse and began searching for the nearest exit, when I was caught off guard by a hand coming out of nowhere.

()()()()()

My mother has never been very forceful. But the power she exerted in grabbing me by the elbow and dragging me to the ladies' room would suggest otherwise.

Once we were in the restroom, she checked every stall. Finding them all empty, she turned to me with an absolutely murderous expression on her face. I did my best not to cower in fear. Mom has _never_ looked that angry. That includes the time Derek and I threw a party without her and George's permission. What could she possibly be angry about tonight?

"Do you have anything important you'd like to tell me?" she asked through gritted teeth.

She couldn't possibly know about…Oh, god. She might.

"No. Why? Should I?" I replied weakly.

Mom shook her head, suddenly looking more disappointed than angry. "I thought we had the kind of relationship where we could tell each other anything."

I nodded emphatically. "We do, Mom. Really." I just can't tell her about the sick game Derek and I are playing.

"Is that so? Well, imagine my surprise when I learn from the hockey captain that my children apparently make an adorable couple."

I cringed. "Mom, it's not what you think."

She raised an eyebrow. "Please, enlighten me."

Okay, so she was giving me the benefit of the doubt. Good sign. "Derek played this lame prank, letting everyone on the hockey team think that we're together. So I played along, to get back at _him_. But now we're trapped in this lie."

Mom leaned towards the mirror. "I swear Casey, I can count twelve new grey hairs from the last five minutes. I thought _maybe_ I wasn't getting the _full_ story. But to hear you outright deny it like this…"

"Whoa! Wait a second! Deny what? I told you the truth!"

She turned away from the mirror and leaned against the sink, hands resting on her stomach. "The _whole_ truth?"

I couldn't help it; I was blushing like crazy. "You…saw us dancing?" I tried to remember how to breathe.

She nodded. "Honey, please tell me what's going on."

I could feel a lump forming in my throat. My mom wouldn't judge me. She just wants to make sure I'm okay. I can tell her.

"It's possible that there is, maybe, a very slight chance that there's something between us," I said in a rush. I couldn't believe I was admitting this.

Mom pulled me towards her. I hugged her as best I could. I could feel the baby kicking as I leaned against her. "Hey, that feels funny!"

Mom smiled. "He's telling us he's happy for you two!"

"What? No! We're not together!" I backed away from her. "The dance just now was…well, I don't know what it was, but Derek just did this as a prank. And I was stupid enough to let him get away with it. But I might actually be—" I could _not_ say 'in love with Derek.' I just couldn't. I don't know what I was feeling, but I wasn't _in love_ with him. "—I might have a teeny-tiny crush on him. Isn't that awful? What's wrong with me?" I brushed at my eyes, which were already brimming with tears. I hate that I cry so easily.

"Sweetheart, it may not be the most conventional relationship in the world, but if you two have feelings for each other, you're allowed to act on them. You're not related by blood."

I stared at her calm expression and it clicked: she already knew. "You sound like you knew this was coming!" I accused her, folding my arms over my chest.

Mom looked sheepish. "George and I have talked about the possibility of you and Derek getting together. You're just so right for each other; we thought maybe it would happen eventually. When we first got married, though, you two were fighting so much that we figured we were safe. But this last year or so you've gotten very close. We thought if something happened, now was the most likely time, when you were out of the house and spending a lot of time alone together." She sighed. "I know this must be overwhelming for you, but you have to trust your feelings."

Overwhelming was not how I would describe this news. Mind-blowing, ridiculous, and unbelievable might fit a little better.

"You _knew_?" was all I could splutter. "You and George _predicted_ that this would happen? We still _fight_ all the time! Derek is so obnoxious! So immature! So _Derek_!"

"Shh, calm down, Sweetie. I just said we talked about the possibility, that's all."

"And you're _okay_ with this? We're _stepsiblings_!"

"Aren't you the ones who're always emphasizing the 'step' part?"

No. Brother, step-brother, it's the same difference. Right?

I felt the need to throw something, but I restrained myself by grabbing clumps of my dress in my fists. I took some deep breaths, lamenting the absence of a paper bag. Mom watched me, obviously trying not to make any sudden moves. She must have thought I was crazy. Or just really stupid.

"I can't believe I fell for _Derek_!" I couldn't even begin to describe the absurdity of the moment. Saying such a thing out loud was beyond ludicrous. But the words had left my lips, and I couldn't take them back now. It wasn't a declaration of love, but it was pretty close. And I was admitting this to my mother, no less. My mother, who seemed to know what I wanted before I did. All those times in the last few weeks that I thought maybe I was going along with the prank for a reason other than to mess with him, and _Mom_ had to be the one to make me see the truth.

Suddenly, the door opened, and I quickly dabbed at my eyes with a paper towel. The girl who entered smiled affably at us and went into a stall.

"But it was a _prank_," I whispered. "_He_ doesn't feel that way. It was just a way to annoy me."

Mom shook her head emphatically. "Are you kidding? You need to talk to him; that's all I'm going to say."

Was she right? Did he really feel the same way? I mean, I thought he felt something during our dance just now, and I didn't want to believe it. But I had no reason to doubt my mother.

She pulled me in for another hug. "We'll talk more about this later."

We left the restroom, and as we walked back out into the crowd of tables, I asked exactly what Joel had said to her and George.

"Well, apparently everyone thinks I'm Derek's biological mother. They've been calling me Mrs. Venturi, which is my name, of course, but Joel and his girlfriend…"

"Sarah," I supplied.

"…Sarah, came up to us and started talking about Derek. They said we should be proud of what a great player he is. And that you and he make a wonderful couple. Sarah said we'd be lucky to have you as a daughter-in-law someday."

Poor Mom and George. I'm happy Sarah thinks so highly of me, but I doubt that's what Mom had been focusing on at that point! "What did you say back?"

"We somehow managed to keep our faces straight and said thank you and all that. When they left, though, I swear George was about to faint." She winked at me, like this was some big joke. I wasn't quite ready to laugh about it, but I'm sure I will someday. It _is_ a pretty crazy situation. "We agreed to talk to each of you," Mom continued. "And then we saw you dancing and thought it must be true. As you know, I was more than a little upset that you wouldn't have told me something so important!"

"Let's just forget about that part of it for now, okay?"

She grinned. "Okay."

"Wait…George is talking to Derek right now?"

Mom bit her lip. "Um, yes. George was more upset than I was. That's putting it mildly."

Uh-oh. My poor Derek.

_My _Derek? What am I _saying_? The world has officially turned upside down.

I don't care what my mom says; I cannot talk to Derek yet. I need to confirm her suspicions first. So told Mom what I had to do and texted Sam to meet me at the door of the dining area.

When he did, he was walking slowly, with a resigned expression on his face.

"You know what I want to talk about?" I asked, though I don't know why I was surprised. Apparently everyone seems to know how I feel even when I don't.

Sam gave me a playful nudge and smiled. "After seeing you guys dancing? Yeah. I know."

I put my head in my hands. "Did _everyone_ see that?"

"Yes. Though the hockey team already thinks you're together, so they didn't pay attention. Your parents and I, however, were," he nudged me again, "riveted."

"Oh my god," I groaned.

"Come on." He took my hand and led me to a couch a little ways down the hall.

It was there that he told me the whole story. How Derek had decided to get over his crush on me (!), but then we were forced to live together. How the guys on the team just assumed we were dating, and he didn't correct them because he wanted an excuse to sort of try out a relationship with me. How Derek was a big giant baby who couldn't face his emotions. (Okay, _I_ added that last part.)

"_Derek_ can't face his feelings? Look who's talking, Miss I-sent-myself-flowers!" Sam could barely contain his laughter.

I whacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Hey! Just because it took me a long time to figure out that I lo—" I quickly swallowed the 'v' and tried again. "That I am interested in Derek doesn't mean I'm emotionally immature. It just means that I was taking my time to find out what I want."

"Oh, is _that_ the difference?" Sam teased. "I'll be sure to remind Derek that _his_ emotional immaturity is the reason you two aren't together yet."

I gave him a dirty look. He smiled back at me and pressed a kiss to my forehead before getting up from the couch. "Want me to walk you home?"

"But the party…" I saw his pointed look and started over. "I guess I really should talk to him tonight, shouldn't I?"

"Yes. And I doubt you want to do it in a roomful of people who already think you're practically engaged."

I sighed. "I'll call Mom and let her know I'm leaving." At least Mom and George were free to go back to their hotel whenever they wanted. They were planning on joining us for breakfast in the morning.

Sam walked me from Ban Righ back to our apartment. "When do you want Derek here?" he asked.

"I'm assuming you think I should make some big romantic gesture?"

"I think that would be cool, yeah," he said nonchalantly.

"Tell him to come home in ten minutes." I'd be able to think of _something_ romantic.

"Will do. Good luck, Case." Sam left, and then I was alone with my thoughts for the first time all night. I wasn't sure _I_ could be the one to talk. I somehow had to get Derek to admit his feelings first. He was the one who started this whole mess; he needed to be the one to finish it.


	9. Hat Trick

I adore you all so much. Seriously, our fandom has the best reviewers in the world. Every single review makes me smile.

I have to point out something that WhenLighteningStrikes said, because it's so true: "The BEST thing about this show is that we're writing all these fantastical things about them dancing together and him pinning her down and fighting sexually for the remote and fantasizing about her and her wearing his clothes, and it sounds like we've taken these things from a sexy romance novel; and it's ALL CANON."

More children's shows should be like this. *giggle* I love our fandom.

As I told some of you in reviews, I find it hard to believe that Nora and George have no idea about the U.S.T. between their children by now. By Season 4, Derek was doing a horrible job of hiding his lip-licking tongue-porn, and they flirted like crazy in front of their parents all the time. Of course, Casey didn't realize that's what she was doing. But George and Nora had to see it. They may be slightly oblivious, but you'd have to live in a cave not to see the signs.

And as Invalid_Minds pointed out, yes, the baby is a Dasey shipper. :)

Did I mention how much I love our fandom? Ahem.

Now on to what you really want to read…

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 9: Hat Trick **

"Case!" He was yelling before he even got the door open. "Don't leave!" He spotted me on the couch as he flew through the door. "Casey, listen, you can't leave, okay?" He rushed towards me as he said this, and then looked around, confused. "I thought you were packing…"

It took me a few seconds to put it together. "Sam told you I was _leaving_?"

Derek sat next to me on the couch, breathing heavily and looking pretty embarrassed. "He said you were so upset that you came back here to pack, that you were going to stay with Sarah for a few days until you could find your own place. But…I guess not…" he trailed off, finally taking in the candles lit all around the dim living room and kitchen, and me in my hockey sweatshirt and pajama pants. I had been planning on staying in my (sexy) dress, but it just felt better to put on the sweatshirt. To show him how much I do care.

"Sam is _good_," I said appreciatively. I would definitely have to thank him later. Not only did he get Derek here in a hurry, he also had him thinking I was about to _abandon_ him. Perfect!

"What's going on?" Derek eyed me suspiciously.

"I think _I_ should be the one asking that question," I answered with a smile.

"So…you know, then."

He hadn't phrased it as a question, but I pretended he did. "No, I don't know."

Derek reached out an arm, like he was going to take my hand, but then pulled back. He was not going to crack easily, that was for sure. "Don't play dumb. I'm guessing Nora said the same thing to you as my dad said to me."

"And what did your dad say?" I asked, feigning innocence.

Derek glared at me. "You're not going to make this easy on me, are you? Typical Casey."

"Not after what you put me through. Typical Derek." I said it jokingly, but he was still offended.

"What _I_ put _you_ through? _You_ didn't have to go along with it!" He was on the brink of a major breakdown, I could feel it. The tension in the room was getting thicker and thicker. I know it sounds weird, but the room was almost humming. Or maybe that was just me shaking in anticipation. I'll never know.

"Go along with what, exactly?" I gave him my sweetest smile.

"You're not going to make me say it!" he growled.

"Of course I am." I sat back against the couch and folded my arms. I could wait all night.

We sat in silence for a few moments. I was dreading putting my plan into action, but when he refused to speak, I knew I had to do it. I wanted him to say what he was feeling.

So I made it impossible for him to ignore me.

I got up off the couch and came over to kneel in front of him. I placed a hand on each knee and stayed still, staring directly into his eyes. It was the same way we had looked at each other while we were dancing. Only now, his expression held a hint of panic.

Good. He deserves to squirm.

"Say it," I pleaded softly.

He cleared his throat and looked away from me. So I stood up and moved over him on the couch. I sucked in my breath, trying not to think too much about what I was doing. If I did, I would chicken out. This plan had seemed so much less intimidating when I had been waiting for him to come home! With the smoothest motion possible, I straddled him and pulled his hands towards my own. Clasping both of them tightly, I let out a sigh.

"Tell me the truth, Derek. I don't want to hear it from Sam, or my mother. I want it from you."

He still refused to look at me. I knew that if he let himself, there was a real possibility that he would crack right now. The problem was, I knew he would only say it if he realized that I felt the same. But I was too stubborn to be the first one to say how I felt. I didn't _ask_ to be thrown into a 'relationship.' _He_ needed to explain why he did it.

My next move was a dirty one, but I was prepared to use it if need be. Unfortunately, when my position on his lap didn't faze him, I had no choice.

I tipped his head back against the couch and trailed kisses down his jaw line. My brain faintly registered the odd sensation that I was_ kissing Derek_. But I couldn't afford to think about it now. I had to keep my head clear.

He let out a strangled sound. I grinned triumphantly. He wasn't going to be able to take much more of this.

I started to kiss down his neck, and I unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. I could feel him clench his teeth, but he still didn't say anything.

"I want to hear the truth. I want to know why you pulled this horrible prank on me. I want to know how you feel about me," I pleaded.

"You first," he whimpered as I bit his earlobe.

"No way. You started this. You don't get what you want until you come clean," I whispered into his ear.

It was then that I realized what was holding him back. It wasn't just fear. He would consider it _losing_ if he spoke up first. We both seem to want to hide behind our pride. Why are we so stupid?

"It's not losing if you just talk to me," I said softly. "In fact, I think if you tell me how you feel, we'll both win."

Derek eyed me warily. At least he was making eye contact again. I cupped his face in my hands to make sure he didn't break the connection. It worked.

With my hands still palming his cheeks, I asked gently, "Why did you let everyone think we were a couple?"

Derek put his hands on top of mine and brought them away from his face. He held them firmly between us. "Because…" I nodded encouragingly. "Because I wanted to know what it would be like if we really were together." He squeezed his eyes shut as if he thought I was going to hit him or something. God, he's such a baby.

I took a deep breath. "And why would you want us to be together?"

He opened his eyes and stared down at our intertwined hands. "Because I love you."

What?! Did he just say that? _Love_? I believe Sam said crush, not _love_. Oh, my god. Ohmygod.

"This is why I didn't want to say it!" he bellowed, dropping my hands and practically shoving me off of him. He stood up and began pacing, rubbing his hands furiously through his hair. "I knew you wouldn't feel the same way!"

_Wait_…I realized then that I had been frowning. "No! Derek, I do! I just didn't expect you to say…that!"

"Okay, Ms. Control Freak, I did my part. Your turn. How the hell do you feel about me? Because that was pretty cruel, what you did," he motioned to the couch, "If you don't feel the same way!"

I went over to him and wrapped him in a hug, which he didn't return. "I _said_, I do care about you. I was expecting you to say that you _like_ me. Not…" I couldn't even say the word.

In one swift motion, Derek scooped me up and carried me back to the couch. We sat, and I situated myself in his lap. He grabbed my hands again, and kissed each of my fingers. He looked like he was about to cry. Seeing him like that made _me_ want to cry. Somehow, I held it in.

"Case, what I feel for you is so much stronger than that. Don't you see? I _liked_ Kendra. I _liked_ Sally. But you…I mean, you have been the most important person in my life for the last three-and-a-half years. And it took me forever to figure out that what I was feeling for you was so much more than a crush. I literally can't imagine my life without you now. I've never felt this way before. The only word I can think of to describe how I feel is that I _love_ you."

I started tearing up, and decided to let them fall. "I don't know if I'm ready for that," I tried to explain. "I care about you more than anyone else I've ever met. I didn't realize it either, until these last few weeks. I realized that I actually enjoyed being your girlfriend. You mean a lot to me, Derek. I want to be with you."

He smiled. "Good. That's all I need to hear. I can wait for the rest." He looked much more at ease now, but I still felt guilty that I couldn't say it back.

"It's just…this is so complicated, Derek. I know our parents gave us their blessing, but what about Liz, and Ed, and Marti? We're _step_siblings. And we fight so much." I was finally able to stop crying. Derek handed me a tissue from his pocket, and I wiped my eyes. He rubbed my back. It felt so natural to be with him like this. Isn't that crazy?

Derek sighed. "I know it's complicated. And the stepsibling thing took me awhile to get over, myself. But I decided that I deserved the chance to be happy."

"What Derek wants, Derek gets," I said with a giggle.

"You know it." He beamed at me, one of those gorgeous smiles that reached his eyes. I couldn't help it. I went in for a kiss, stopping just short of his mouth. It had suddenly hit me: the enormity of what kissing him would mean.

"Once we do this, there's no going back," Derek said carefully, as if he were reading my mind.

"I know. But we moved in together, and after that we started dating. We've been working backward so far, so I think kissing is the next logical step."

He chuckled at that. "I just want to know that you're sure."

"Absolutely."

And I closed the distance between us.

At first, I couldn't get my brain to stop screaming "You're kissing _Derek!_ What are you _doing_?" But that stopped abruptly the second his tongue slid into my mouth, and all coherent thought melted away.

I have never, ever had such a perfect kiss. It was so sweet, and gentle, and not what I had imagined kissing Derek would be like. (Not that I had imagined it that often...but hey, girls talk. I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.) It was _better_. So, so much better.

When we finally came up for air, I let out a shaky breath. Derek looked a little dazed. "We should have done that a long time ago," he finally said.

I smacked him in the chest. "If you had said something sooner, we could have!"

He grimaced. "I know, I know. But you have no idea how hard it was to admit to myself how much you mean to me. I never let myself get so…"

"Vulnerable?"

"Well, yeah. I try not to let people see that side of me. I have a reputation to protect."

"Correction: you _had_ a reputation to protect. That was high school. You can be whoever you want to be here, and no one will know the difference."

He thought about that for a second. "I guess you're right."

"And we don't even have to tell anyone about us, because our friends already think we're practically engaged." I blushed. "I mean, not that we have to move that fast now—"

He put a finger to my lips to shush me. "I know, Case. Don't worry."

"I think we should continue to leave out the fact that we're stepsiblings, though. Don't you?"

"I agree. That information's on a need-to-know basis. And hey, speaking of our friends, I really want to know what happened the first time you met the HGs. You must have been so freaked out." He laughed despite his serious tone.

"Oh, I was. I thought you were the biggest jerk in the world for letting them believe we were together, and I didn't correct them because I thought I would be beating you at your own prank. But I guess part of me also didn't correct them because I wanted to see what would happen between us if we did 'date.'"

"That's how I felt, too. When the guys asked if you were my girlfriend, I thought it would be fun to let them think that. But of course, I didn't realize all the consequences, the biggest one being that I would have to face my own feelings."

"You, not thinking about the consequences of your actions? Hmm, never heard that before!"

He smirked and began tickling me. I screeched and tried to fend him off with a pillow. I knocked him backwards against the armrest and landed on top of him. Our eyes met again, and that was the end of talking for awhile.

()()()()()

It eventually occurred to me, through my hazy intoxicated-by-Derek condition, that it was getting late. "We should probably get some sleep. You have to be able to play tomorrow."

He looked at the clock. "You mean, this morning."

I groaned. "Come on." I pulled us up into a sitting position. I suddenly realized something important. "Can you believe Mom and George were the ones who basically pushed us together? They knew how we felt before we did!"

Derek shook his head in amazement. "Nora told you that too, huh? Dad was all, 'oh yeah, we figured it would happen eventually. It's not like you kept it a secret very well.' It was crazy."

"They knew, and yet _I_ had no idea you liked me for so long. How could I, when you were constantly making my life miserable?" I didn't say it out of spite. It was just a fact.

Derek shrugged. "You didn't see the way I looked at you when your back was turned. I kinda had a feeling I was being too obvious, but I couldn't help it. I just thought it was easier to be rude to you than to let you know the truth."

"That worked a little _too_ well. These last few weeks, I kept telling myself that what we have doesn't mean anything, because you hated me for so long."

He kissed my nose. "Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm sorry I was an idiot."

I snuggled into him. "I'm sorry too. I had plenty of opportunities to talk to you about our 'relationship,' and I always chickened out."

"Let's just put the past behind us, okay?"

I thought that over. "You know, I don't think we can. Everything we've been through has always made us that much closer. We grew up together. I honestly wouldn't trade any of it. Even though you drive me crazy sometimes." I smiled at him.

He didn't answer. Instead, he kissed me again.

I reluctantly pulled away from him. "We really do need to get some sleep."

"Yes, Mom Junior," he whined.

I rolled my eyes. Derek is still Derek.

Except now, he's my (non-fake) boyfriend. What an unbelievable night.

We both paused outside our bedrooms, facing each other across the hall. Derek had this huge smile on his face. In fact, I don't think he's stopped smiling since our first kiss. What have I done to him? Whatever it is, I like it!

"I love you, Casey," he said, striding over and wrapping me in a tight hug.

I don't know what was stopping me from saying it. Maybe because I never said it to anyone before, and at the same time, I was fighting my own issues with being vulnerable. But I had to get over myself, because by now, I knew for sure that I felt it. This was so much more than _like_. The only possible word to describe the 'my-heart-is-about-to-burst' feeling has to be "love."

"I love you, Derek," I said into his shoulder.

He loosened the hug so that we could look at each other. "You do?"

"I really do. I love you." It was easier to say the second time. I was positive that it was the truth.

"I knew it," he said triumphantly, and spun me around.

When he set me down against my doorframe, he went in for another kiss. I obliged, of course. Did I mention how much _fun_ it is to kiss Derek?

"Sweet dreams, Spacey," he whispered, brushing his lips against my ear. My first instinct was to grab onto him and never let go, but I had to snap myself out of it. It had been a long night, and exhaustion was starting to set in.

"Good night, Dere-bear," I giggled.

"That is so unfair. Not only does that name make me want to rip my ears off my head, _you_ didn't even make it up!"

"You're right." I grinned sheepishly. "Good night, Der-ek!" I put in the exact inflection I used when I was angry at him. (Give me a break; I'm not as creative with nicknames as he is.)

"Ahh, music to my ears." He winked, "You know I can't resist your high-pitched whining. Say it again."

I pushed him towards his room. "Believe me, I'm sure you'll be hearing plenty more yelling from me in the near future. You may be my boyfriend now, but I have a feeling you're still going to make me crazy."

"I like when you call me _that_," Derek smirked.

"Okay, well then, good night, _Boyfriend_." I smiled in spite of myself. It felt so nice to say it.

"Good night, Freaky von Freakerstein." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and disappeared into his bedroom.

Our relationship is so screwed up, isn't it? You know what, though? I wouldn't have it any other way.

()()()()()

I slept better than I had in ages. When I woke up and turned off my alarm, I noticed a vase of fresh flowers on my dresser. There was a card next to them. "Dear Casey, Now you don't have to send yourself flowers. Love, Derek."

I clutched the card to my chest and tried to ignore the tears brimming in my eyes. I really _have_ to stop crying so often. The arrangement was beautiful, though. I have no idea how Derek pulled this off at seven-thirty on a Saturday morning.

"Case, you up? Can you come here for a second?" Derek called from outside my door.

I started towards him, but then remembered my bedhead and smeared makeup that I hadn't bothered to take off last night. Not to mention the morning breath.

Derek's seen me like this a million times before. But something about this morning was different. I suddenly felt shy about him seeing me looking messy. Isn't that ridiculous?

"Let me get washed up first, and then I'll be right there," I said to my closed door.

I could hear Derek put his hand on the doorknob. "Come on, I just need your help for a second—"

"No!" I cried, when he cracked the door open a sliver. "Please just go to the kitchen and I'll be there in a minute."

"Casey, I just need to know which plates to use."

My curiosity overpowered my embarrassment. "Okay, but don't look at me."

Derek opened the door all the way and immediately looked me up and down. "You've got to be kidding me. I've seen you first thing in the morning a thousand times, and I haven't run away screaming yet."

I blushed. "I know, but it's different now."

Derek shook his head. "No, it's not. You're still you, and I'm still me. Besides, you look fine." He stifled a laugh. "Well, the hair is a little scary."

"Shut up!" I tried to slam the door on him, but he grabbed it and held it open.

"I just need to know if you have some fancy plates you think we should use for breakfast."

"I thought we were going out to eat with Mom and George."

Derek shook his head. "I called them. They'll be here in a half hour."

"You're cooking for all of us?" I stared at him blankly.

"What, you think I can't do it?" he fired back. "Because I happen to be a great cook."

"Der-ek," I complained. (He smirked, I ignored it.) "Seriously, you'd rather cook than go out?"

Derek shrugged. "I was up early trying to find a twenty-four hour supermarket, so I've had time to kill this morning. Besides, I have a feeling we don't want to tell Dad and Nora the whole story about us in front of a bunch of strangers at a restaurant."

I hadn't thought of that. "That's true. By the way, thank you for the flowers," I said.

"Glad you like them," he replied, not quite meeting my eyes.

I shoved him playfully. "Derek Venturi, a hopeless romantic. I had my suspicions, but to see it firsthand…"

"Stop it. Plates," he barked, trying to change the subject.

I sighed. "Fine. Let me brush my teeth, and then I will show you where the fancy plates are."

"I think that would be best for both of us." He winked.

Of course, it took less than five minutes to dig the fancy plates and silverware out of the back of the cabinet, pull the cloth napkins out of the drawer, and set the table. As soon as everything was in place, he pushed me up against the wall and we, well, kinda lost track of time. It's amazing how simple and easy this transition has been so far. It just feels _right_, being with Derek like this. And he's got a point: we're still _us_, but now we get to make out. Not a bad upgrade!

We eventually realized that our parents would be arriving any minute. I quickly got dressed, and Derek turned his attention back to the pancakes.

Mom and George arrived right on time. I could feel their excitement as we opened the door together.

They didn't bother to hide it, either.

"Well?" George asked as soon as we had the door shut behind them.

Derek and I shared a smile, and Mom clutched George's arm in anticipation.

"Derek told me he loved me," I said shyly. It was hard to talk about this in front of our parents!

It got even more awkward when Derek put his arms around my waist from behind. "Der-ek! Not in front of our parents!" I squeaked, turning bright red.

Derek waved a hand dismissively. "They don't care."

They didn't. They were still looking at us like kids on Christmas morning. "And then…" Mom prompted. She was about to start crying any second. Darn those hormones.

Or maybe I just inherited my overactive tear ducts from her.

"And…Casey told me what an amazing, handsome, and perfect specimen I am," Derek boasted. I elbowed him in the stomach. He didn't even flinch.

"What he means to say is that I told him I loved him back, because I am such a kind and forgiving person," I countered. Derek let go of me and rolled his eyes.

Mom and George looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" I asked. Derek looked just as confused.

Mom glanced at George, who was still laughing. "You two will never change."

I folded my arms. "That is _not_ true. _Derek_ made breakfast. How's that for a change?"

George snapped back to serious. "Wow, that is pretty impressive."

We led them over to the table.

Once we were settled in, George rubbed his hands together. "Come on, tell us the whole story!"

Mom nodded. "Please do. We've been dying to hear it."

I looked warily at George. The anger from last night seemed to have subsided, but I had to make sure. "Are you both sure you're okay with us together? I know you said you predicted it, but you weren't very happy when you thought we were dating last night…"

Mom grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Oh, honey, we were just surprised. We were upset when we thought you two had been dating and didn't think it was necessary to tell us about it. Now that we know it was a misunderstanding, we're very happy for you. We completely approve."

"And you really don't have a problem with the whole stepsibling thing?" Derek grabbed my other hand, for reassurance, it seemed.

Mom and George glanced at each other uneasily. "We're not saying it's the ideal situation," George spoke up. "But you two can't help that you met when Nora and I got engaged. We put you together and expected you to become family, but it was obvious from the start that you never saw each other as brother and sister, as much as we tried to push you in that direction. So no, we don't really have a problem with it."

"That being said," Mom continued, "We'd appreciate it if you told the kids as soon as possible. And when you come to visit, you need to be mindful of their feelings."

"So that means not too much of _that_ stuff," George agreed, pointing to our hands. Derek dropped my hand with a reluctant frown.

Mom smiled. "He means when you're around your siblings," she explained.

Derek sighed. "That's more like it," agreed, taking my hand again. We smiled at each other.

Mom and George just looked at us and shook their heads in unison. "I never thought I'd see the day," Mom said to George, and he put an arm around her and nodded.

"One more issue of concern, and then I want to hear more about how this whole thing got started," George told us.

Derek shifted uncomfortably. "I know that look. Don't worry, Dad. We haven't even talked about that yet." He glared at his father. I raised my eyebrows at Derek, but he just shook his head.

George held up his hands. "Look, Nora and I just want to make sure you make the right decisions when the time comes."

"What are they talking about?" I hissed to Derek. This was so frustratingly vague.

"They're trying to tell us to have safe sex," Derek whispered in my ear. I blushed furiously.

"Mom!" I yelped.

She ducked her head, as embarrassed as I was. "We'll talk about it later," she told me, and motioned to George and Derek. "And they can, too."

George eyed Derek. "Oh, we will."

Derek harrumphed, and then cleared his throat. "So, we were going to tell you why everyone thought we were dating?"

This was a much safer topic. It's not that I'd never _thought_ about the other one, but it was way too early in our relationship to even consider it. I'm glad Derek felt the same way.

Mom motioned for Derek to go ahead. "Yes, I really would like to hear that story!" She smiled at us, and Derek started from the beginning.


	10. Overtime

Hi everyone, this is the last chapter. Thank you so much for following this story. It was incredibly fun to write, and all of your reviews were very much appreciated.

I'll be posting a sequel to this in the near future. So many of you wanted to see Derek's side (myself included!) that I figured it would be a good idea. It'll be key scenes from Derek's POV, nothing as long or involved as this story was, though. Alert me if you haven't so you'll know when it's posted! (Nothing like shameless self-promotion on the final lap, eh? But I know you guys will forgive me, because like I said, our fandom is wonderful!)

I deliberately left the ending a little open…you can fill in the blanks yourself!

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

**Chapter 10: Overtime**

I was more excited for _this_ game than I'd ever been. Not only because Mom and George were getting to see Derek play, but I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I wouldn't have to lie to the HGs anymore.

Mom, George, and I squeezed into the back of the Prince. We were going to pick Sam up at his dorm. I couldn't wait to see his reaction to our news.

"What happened?" was the first thing out of his mouth as he opened the passenger door.

Derek turned to wink at me. "Sammy, you are _not_ allowed to say 'I told you so,'" he warned.

Sam shrugged. "I promise. Tell me!"

We told him the story of last night (omitting certain details for our parents' benefit, of course) during the ride to the Memorial Centre, and Sam practically bounced in his seat the whole time.

"I won't say 'I told you so.'" He grinned at Derek. "But I will say, if you act all boyfriendy-girlfriendy around me, I will be forced to puke in public."

Derek removed one hand from the wheel and punched him in the arm. "Not funny, Richards."

"Derek!" Mom reprimanded him. Derek put both hands back on the wheel.

Sam turned towards the three confused people in the backseat. "That was what Derek told us when you and I started going out, remember, Case?" he explained.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Sam had paraphrased, of course, but the point was made: Derek owed Sam big-time for helping to get us together after what Derek had put him through.

()()()()()

We arrived with a few minutes to spare. The HGs were already passing around the face paint. I offered Mom and George a spot with us, but they decided to go further up the bleachers and sit with Sam's parents.

I headed over to HGs and said hello.

"What happened last night?" Sarah asked with concern. "You and Derek disappeared."

I had completely forgotten that I hadn't said goodbye to anyone last night.

"I wasn't feeling well, so we went home," I said, thinking quickly. That was close enough to the truth.

"That's a shame. Are you better now?"

I nodded. "I feel fine, thanks."

"You seem to be in a really good mood," Brooke remarked.

"Look at you, you can't stop smiling," Lauren agreed.

I covered my mouth when I realized she was right. But once I removed my hand, I was still grinning like crazy. So much for not having to lie to them anymore. But I could still tell the partial truth. "I can't help it, you guys. I'm just really happy my parents are here." (And that Derek and I are finally together!)

"_Your_ parents are here too?" Gina asked.

I froze. Oops. "I mean, Derek's parents." I can't believe I did that!

The girls seemed to buy it. Gina continued, "You must be really close to them, huh?"

"Very close." I didn't elaborate, and the game was about to start, so no one made any other remarks.

I realized something, though. We had no reason to hide from the HGs. Do I really want to pretend that my mom isn't my mom every time she comes to visit?

I had to check with Derek first. It wasn't necessary to tell his teammates; I'm sure they'd hear about it eventually. But even so, I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't mind if the girls knew. I felt like the stepsibling factor was the biggest issue for both of us, and if the HGs found out and still liked me, I would know that it honestly didn't matter that our parents are married.

I took a deep breath and stepped carefully down the bleachers towards the Gaels' box. Derek wasn't starting today, as usual, so I picked my way through the crowd and ducked my head down next to where he was sitting.

"Hey," he said warmly when he saw me. What a difference from a few days ago, eh?

"I have a weird request," I told him.

"Shoot."

"I accidentally called Nora my mom," I began. Derek groaned quietly, but I wouldn't let him respond just yet. "I think I need to tell the HGs the truth. Just the fact that Nora is my mom and George is your dad. We don't have to explain anything else about our past together. But it would be so much easier if I could talk openly about our parents."

Derek considered this. I was surprised when he nodded without too much deliberation. "Go for it. If they can't handle it, they have no business being your friends."

"Are you sure about that? Your teammates would hear about it eventually."

He paused, but that didn't seem to change his mind. "I'm sure," he said confidently. "I don't care anymore what people think about us. We're together, and that's all that matters."

I was so relieved. "Thank you, Der. I'm glad all the lying will be over."

He smirked. "I may be The Lord of the Lies, but I was getting sick of it, myself."

"Have a good game, O Lord of the Lies," I teased. Derek stretched out an arm to swat at me. I ducked out of his reach, and he grinned.

I turned back to wave as I climbed up the bleachers, but he was already facing the ice, involved in the game again. It was up to me now to set the record straight.

I made my way back up the bleachers and took my seat next to Sarah. I waited for a break in the game action, and then announced, "I have something to tell all of you."

Every HG's head turned toward me in unison. It would have been funny if I wasn't so nervous.

I took a deep breath, and went for it. "Derek and I haven't been completely honest about our relationship." I saw several pairs of eyes looking at me curiously, so I pressed on. "Derek's parents up there," I gestured towards them, "are my parents, too."

Next to me, Sarah and Brooke exchanged a horrified glance, and I realized how I had sounded. So much for not making a big deal out of it. "No! I mean, we're _step_siblings."

Realization dawned on their faces, and I relaxed as I looked around to see nothing but smiles.

"So, is that your mom or your dad up there?" Gina asked.

"My mom. She married Derek's dad when we were fifteen."

"Wow. So were you already with Derek, or did you get together afterwards?" That was Brooke.

"Afterwards." I didn't bother to explain how _long_ afterwards. Now was not the time. Maybe someday, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered right now was that our biggest secret was out in the open, and I was still seeing smiles. "You really don't think it's weird?" I asked, just to be perfectly clear.

"Of course not," Sarah insisted. "It's a little unconventional, sure, but not weird."

"Yeah. It actually happens more than you think. My cousin married her stepbrother," Lauren said.

Brooke nodded. "It's true. I saw the pictures. He was totally hot," she giggled, putting her arm around me.

"Thanks, you guys. I'm glad you're okay with it. Derek and I don't like to tell people, but we decided not to let it bother us anymore."

"Good for you," Sarah said, smiling.

I looked around at the other HGs. I could not believe how lucky I was to have such understanding parents, nice friends, and hey, look at that, a boyfriend who just scored a goal!

()()()()()

The next weekend, our entire family made the trip to Kingston for Derek's game. The kids and I camped out in the living room, while our parents took my room. (Derek probably wouldn't have given up his room anyway, but he _did_ need to get his rest for the game, so we let him keep his bed.)

We told the kids at dinner. Marti asked if she could be the flower girl at our wedding. Derek said he'd let her know in a few years, while I blushed like crazy.

Lizzie and Edwin's reaction was as infuriating as my mother's had been.

"Took you long enough," said Edwin.

"Had to happen sooner or later," said Lizzie.

Then they bent their heads together and started whispering. Apparently, this wasn't exactly earth-shattering news to them. Mom and George just looked at each other and shrugged.

()()()()()

Our winter break finally arrived, and we were headed back to London. It would be the first time back at the house since August, and I was a little nervous to see the changes. There had been a lot of necessary adjustments for the new baby.

The first thing I noticed was that the entire downstairs was baby-proofed. No sharp corners, covers on the outlets, and all that. And there was a crib in the corner.

"That was Marti's," Derek remarked, as he went over to examine it.

Lizzie came bursting through the door. "You're home!" She gave me a big hug. "Like all the baby stuff?"

"It's so exciting!"

It really was. We went over to a pile of presents in the corner, which Lizzie explained were from people at work. We had talked to Mom about it, and she insisted that she didn't need a baby shower or lots of gifts. This baby was already getting five kids' worth of hand-me-downs.

Edwin came home then, and there was more hugging, and exclaiming over baby items. Edwin was wishing with all his might for a boy. I don't care what it is, as long as it's healthy. (But if I had to pick, I'd want a girl. There's too much testosterone in this house already.)

George came home with Marti a little later, and Mom followed soon after. It was her last day at work for awhile.

"So wonderful to have you home," she told Derek and me, kissing the tops of our heads. Derek made a face, but he was too busy having a tickle fight with Marti to care too much.

"You, too, Mom. Now you have a few weeks to relax before the baby comes."

"_Relax_?" She laughed. "Honey, wait until you see how much there's left to do!"

George nodded. "We'll give you the grand tour." He led everyone upstairs, and Derek and I gasped when we saw my room. It was an exact replica of Mom and George's basement bedroom.

"You're sleeping here now?" I looked wistfully around my old room, but I wasn't really upset. How could I be? My home was in Kingston.

"Yes, and I'm sorry we didn't tell you beforehand. We had a tough time figuring out where the baby should go. Whatever we did, it was obvious we couldn't stay in the basement anymore," Mom explained.

"Wait a minute. So that means…" I stepped over to Derek's door and pushed it open.

It was completely empty. When we left in August, he had kept most of his posters on the walls and a mattress on the floor, claiming that it would always be _his_ room. And now, it was painted pale yellow, obviously awaiting baby furniture.

"You gave up your room?" I squeaked. Derek came over and wrapped his arms around me, laying his chin on my shoulder.

"Shocking, isn't it?" I could feel him smirking.

"I can't believe you're letting the baby have _your_ room." I was still having trouble processing this development.

Derek sighed. "What can I say? Nora and Dad are very convincing. It was time to let go."

"That's right," George spoke up proudly. "We had a long talk with Derek, and he decided to do a nice thing for us. You're a good influence, Case."

"Hey, this was Derek's decision. It had nothing to do with me."

"Thank you, Casey. At least _somebody_ appreciates my inherent good qualities," Derek said teasingly.

George rolled his eyes. "Well, who can I thank for teaching you big words like 'inherent'? Casey, or is that the result of your university education?"

They bantered on like this for awhile, but I tuned them out. I walked into the baby's room and tried to imagine it full of the gifts from downstairs. It was absolutely amazing that in just a few weeks, I would have a new brother or sister.

Mom joined me, pointing out where the furniture would go.

"It took weeks to get the stench out," she whispered. "We actually found a pizza slice buried at the back of the closet under some of Derek's trophies."

"Ew." I shuddered. This baby would have a lot to live up to in this room. Let's hope she's neater than Derek. "Where's the rest of Derek's stuff?"

"The basement." Mom paused. "You know, Case, we thought long and hard about where to put everyone. We thought about having you and Derek stay in the basement together."

I paled at the thought. "Whoa, Mom, I don't think sharing a room is such a good idea—"

"No, no, don't worry. That's something we'll consider down the road. That's not something you're ready to do yet, I'm assuming?"

I understood what she was asking-but-not-asking. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm definitely not ready for that yet." Derek and I were still sleeping in our own bedrooms, thank you very much. (Though the couch had been seeing a lot more action than before!)

She sighed. "Good. So, we decided that for now, you'll bunk with Lizzie. There's enough room for a cot next to her bed. And Ed and Derek will share the attic. It's big enough for both their egos."

We giggled. "Sounds good, Mom. It'll be fun staying with Liz. We have a lot of girl talk to catch up on while I'm here."

"I'm glad you're okay with all of this."

"Of course." I hugged her. "The room is going to look great when it's done."

()()()()()

Somehow, I hadn't realized that Derek and I would be spending a lot of time home alone. Lizzie, Ed, and Marti still had school for another week before Christmas, and George was at work. Mom, true to her word, was busy every day. She went food shopping to stock up on easy dinners for George to make, shopping for diapers, baby formula, and other necessities, and of course, she went furniture shopping. We had Marti's crib, but there was plenty more to get. And then she would come home and nap for a few hours. I don't know how she did it.

Derek and I were put in charge of decorations. I was happy that Derek seemed as into it as I was. We picked out bunny stencils for the walls, these adorable glass clings for the window, and other fun accessories. Mom came home one day to find us covered in white paint, clutching our stomachs and laughing hysterically on the bedroom floor. We had been stenciling the walls, and let's just say we aren't very good at it. We had to buy more yellow paint to cover them up and start all over the next day.

()()()()()

The baby's room was finally finished two days before Christmas.

Derek and I stood in the hallway, admiring our handiwork. He wrapped an arm around me.

"Hey, when we get married, are you going to take my name?"

My head snapped up and I looked at him sternly. "What?"

He shrugged. "I'm just asking."

I settled back against him. "I think so. Why?"

"This baby is going to be a 'McDonald dash Venturi.' So I if you do the McDonald dash thing too, you and the baby will be the only ones in the family that have that name."

"I never even thought about that. But you know, I think I'm just going to stick to becoming regular old Mrs. Derek Venturi. We can let the baby have the dash."

He poked me gently. "Trust me, there is nothing regular or old about being a Venturi."

I shook my head. "Sometimes I still can't believe that I get to see this side of you."

"What do you mean?" He pressed a kiss to my neck.

"_That's_ what I mean. I never in a million years thought you'd be standing here saying you want to marry me."

He gulped. "I was talking about in the future. Way, way, way in the future." I could feel him tense up.

"Calm down. I know that's what you mean. I just can't believe that we're in this place, you know? You and me, not hating each other."

"How could I hate someone I love so much?"

"Say that again." Hearing it never got old.

"Say what?" he murmured into my hair.

I turned around to face him and put my arms around his neck. "I love you."

He moved in closer towards me. "I love you, Case."

Just as our lips were about to touch, Marti let out a shriek. She called up the stairs, "It's time! It's time!"

Derek grabbed my hand and we raced down the stairs. He scooped Marti up and asked, "Is the baby coming?"

"Yes he or she is!" Marti said excitedly. Derek and I grinned at each other. Before we could say anything, George came through the door.

"Good, you're here. Listen, you two bring Marti with you and pick up Edwin and Lizzie and meet us at the hospital. Okay? Okay. Coat. Suitcase. Keys." He glanced around wildly. "Okay. Okay. Bye."

Derek laughed. "Wow. Marti, I hope you know _where_ we're supposed to pick up Ed and Liz, because he's already gone." I peered out the window, and Derek was right.

Marti put a finger to her chin. "Lizzie is probably at Jamie's, and Edwin is in detention."

"Detention?!" Derek and I both said it, but I sounded worried, while Derek sounded proud.

"During Christmas vacation?" I continued.

"Yup," Marti answered. "Edwin has your old seat in the principal's office, Smerek."

Derek and Marti high-fived. I rolled my eyes. Typical Derek. But I wouldn't have him any other way!

"Let's go, you two," I told them. "We don't want to miss anything!"

So we grabbed our coats and headed out the door.

Derek took my hand. "We're about to meet our new brother or sister," he said happily, hugging me to him.

"I know, I can't believe it. It's going to be so weird to have a baby in the house. And," I smirked, "it'll be good practice for us."

Derek shoved me. "Very funny, Space Case."

"I think you _should_ have a baby," Marti spoke up as we climbed into The Prince.

"What would _our_ baby be to _this_ baby? Step-half-niece or nephew?" I laughed.

Derek groaned. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"Our family was only mildly crazy before. Now we're adding a whole new dimension to it," I teased.

Derek kissed me. "I don't care if you don't."

I pretended to think about it. "Nah, I don't mind."

Marti grabbed both our shoulders and shook us. "You love him, he loves you, I get it. Now let's go! I want to see this baby!"

We laughed. "Marti's right, let's go." Derek pulled onto the road.

And off we went to meet our new sibling.


	11. Author's Note

If you liked **Hockey Girls**, please check out the sequels!

**Gael Trouble**: A companion piece to Hockey Girls. Derek's POV of the events. Short Multichapter.

**Hey Baby**: The McDonald-Venturi family is about to change forever. Oneshot.

**Faulty Relations**: Derek and Casey decide to make a change in their relationship, and it doesn't turn out the way either of them expected. Oneshot. Co-written with WhenLighteningStrikes.

**Summer Lovin'**: Derek and Casey head home to London for their first summer break from university. Multichapter.


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